Over the course of a week, six buyers from Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, invited by Imalinx, visited potato and onion producers in Reno, Nevada, and Boise, Idaho. In Reno, with support from the Nevada Department of Agriculture, the group traveled to Winnemucca and Yerington to meet two producers. Later in Boise, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture arranged visits with five additional producers. The agenda also included a dinner with the Idaho Eastern Oregon Onion Committee (IEOOC), where support programs were presented, and questions were addressed.
Throughout the visits, buyers learned firsthand about harvesting, packaging, quality standards, technology, and company operations, allowing them to assess not only pricing but also the overall value offered by each producer. As a result, two buyers confirmed plans to move forward with yellow onion purchases, while the IEOOC will continue follow-up efforts in Mexico to support importers and strengthen their sales through various activities.
In partnership with the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA), Imalinx coordinated a trade mission to Bogotá, Colombia, involving 10 companies from the grocery, pet care, and alcoholic beverage sectors.
During the mission, 101 one-on-one meetings were held over a two-day period, facilitating direct contact between U.S. exporters and Colombian buyers. Participants also attended ExpoIALIMENTOS and conducted a showcase at Grupo Éxito to present their products and send samples for future opportunities.
The program included visits to supermarkets such as D1, Alkosto, Éxito, and Carulla, as well as educational sessions on the Colombian market and its import process, conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture.
This mission successfully enhanced commercial relations between the two countries and created meaningful growth prospects for the participating companies.
On March 24, four distinguished companies from the southern United States members of SUSTA and specialists in grocery and dairy products participated in the event, showcasing their product offerings. The participating companies were:
Their participation was key in highlighting the quality and diversity of Southern U.S. products, generating new business opportunities and establishing valuable connections with potential buyers.
Also participating in this 2025 edition were companies from the Western United States, represented by WUSATA. Eight companies showcased a wide range of products, including dairy, fresh produce, nuts, cocktails, and groceries. These companies included:
In addition, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC), representing growers and packers of Russet potatoes in the state, actively participated in the ANTAD trade show, held in Guadalajara, Mexico. The main goal for all attending companies was to meet with key importers and distributors to build and strengthen commercial relationships that support their growth in the Mexican market.
American Pistachio Growers participated for the first time with its own stand at Expo ANTAD 2025 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. This trade show is a key meeting point for the retail sector, wholesalers, and distributors in Mexico and Latin America.
During the event, APG executives and the Imalinx team held successful meetings with key companies, consolidating strategic partnerships with:
These meetings helped strengthen the presence of American Pistachios in the Mexican market, both in traditional retail channels and in new value-added product offerings.
Imalinx was responsible for designing and building the booths for the three organizations within the U.S. Pavilion, as well as coordinating and supporting the business meetings between the companies and key retailers, importers, and distributors.
Participation in this year’s ANTAD show proved highly productive, helping companies advance their internationalization efforts and strengthen their presence in Mexico. Thanks to effective organization and a strategy focused on in-booth product tastings, SUSTA and WUSATA companies met with over 50 key contacts, while IPC connected with more than 10 new clients, with whom business relationships and agreements are already underway.
Imalinx, in collaboration with WUSATA, organized a seafood tasting and technical demonstration event on October 16, 2024, showcasing nine varieties of wild-caught and sustainable seafood from the United States, provided by three companies and served in twelve canapé-style dishes. The event was supervised and supported by the Western U.S. Agricultural Trade Association. Among the 18 attendees were 12 importers and distributors, along with five guest chefs.
The event’s objective was to capture the attention of potential clients and business partners, increasing visibility for the 3 participating companies. During the activity, booklets and a detailed presentation highlighted the characteristics and certifications of the various seafood options, emphasizing that all were from sustainable fishing practices. At the conclusion, special interest was noted in the Petrale sole, and a significant opportunity was identified for Coho salmon.
The Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA), in conjunction with the Idaho and Oregon Departments of Agriculture and Imalinx, scheduled a trade mission to these states with a delegation of Mexican buyers from the ingredient and foodservice industry to meet new suppliers of grains, seeds, processed products and value-added products.
Imalinx recruited buyers who had one-on-one meetings with 15 companies to develop new business, visits to some of their plants and also visits to supermarkets for end consumers and foodservice where they were able to see new product trends and food and beverage presentations.
“Thank you for the invitation to this trade mission. We have a lot of potential with new products such as khorasan and teff. We must follow up with the companies as necessary to be able to enhance the results of new business opportunities.” Added Value Buyer
As part of the WUSATA program for Mexico in 2024, an inbound trade mission focused on agricultural products was coordinated, which was led by Imalinx-Mexico, acting as the representative in the country. The mission took place from July 7 to 12, 2024.
The main objective of this trade mission was to educate suppliers from the western United States about the Mexican market. Attendees had the opportunity to meet key contacts within the Mexican import industry and establish one-on-one relationships. Trade visits included tours of the facilities and fields of American companies. The final delegation consisted of five Mexican importers from different regions of Mexico. They met with ten suppliers and visited seven packing plants.
Key Points:
Expo ANTAD, that took place from March 12 to 14, is a trade show focused on the retail sector with more than 1,100 exhibiting companies and an estimated 10,000 professional visitors.
This year IMALINX coordinated a total of 17 booths for 6 of our clients, organizing logistics, business meetings and follow-ups with importers, distributors and supermarkets of various categories of food and beverages; from fresh produce such as Idaho Potatoes, grains and nuts such as Popcorn and California Raisins, dairy products with California Milk and various companies from the South and West of the United States.
The show was a success and has allowed us to see products in the supermarket in a short period of time after the show.
In December 2023, WUSATA’s largest trade mission (Mega Mision) was once again held.
As every year, as representatives of the Western U.S. Agribusiness Association in Mexico, we hosted and organized the Trade Mission that offers U.S. exporting companies an exceptional opportunity to meet with buyers from Mexico and Latin America.
It took place in Mexico City and Monterrey from December 3rd – 6th, 2023, where B2B meetings were held between exporters and potential buyers from Mexico City, Monterrey, Panama and Costa Rica, such as supermarkets, importers, distributors and food service institutions. Two exhibition spaces were set up in Mexico City and one in Monterrey, where participating U.S. companies were able to meet with different importers and showcase their products.
A total of 13 U.S. companies attended the Mission coordinated by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the California State Department of Agriculture.
A total of 160 meetings were coordinated during the mission with 54 buyers in Mexico City and Monterrey. In addition, 4 Latin American companies, 2 Panamanian and 2 Costa Rican companies flew to Mexico City and 4 regional Mexican buyers flew to Monterrey to meet with the delegation.
Imalinx in coordination with WUSATA coordinated a Seafood Trade Mission as In-Country Representative from August 21-24, 2022 in Oregon with assistance from the Oregon State Department of Agriculture.
The objective of the trade mission was to help educate suppliers in the western US about the Mexican market, inform them of key contacts within the import industry in these markets, and establish business relationships.
The visits included visits to production plants, offices of suppliers and a menu demonstration with products from the region. The following Cities were visited: Portland, Astoria and Newport. The final delegation had 4 participants (3 buyers and 1 gastronomic journalist).
The WUSATA Mexico Consumer Oriented Outbound Trade Mission took place in Mexico City and Monterrey from December 5th – 9th , 2022. These activities included logistics arrangements and meetings scheduled with potential buyers from both cities such as supermarkets, importers, distributors, and foodservice institutions. Additionally, a market briefing was provided by the Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Mexico City and Monterrey as well as an imports seminar. 2 tabletops were coordinated in Mexico City and other 2 in Monterrey where U.S companies were able to meet with different importers and showcase their products.
A total of thirteen companies attended the Outbound Trade Mission coordinated by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the California State Department of Agriculture.
A total of 192 meetings were conducted during the mission with 45 different importers, retailers and distributors in Mexico City and Monterrey averaging 15 meetings per company.
Additionally, 6 buyers from Central/South America were flown to the mission in Mexico City and 4 Mexican regional buyers were flown to Monterrey in order to meet with the delegation.