Ingredients Trade Mission to Idaho and Oregon

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 

Produce Inbound Trade Mission 

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: 

  • More than 17 companies visited: Mexican buyers established direct contact with a wide variety of fresh produce growers and packers. 
  • Field and packinghouse visits: The on-site experience allowed participants to learn first-hand about production processes and best practices in the industry. 
  • Network expansion: Mexican buyers significantly expanded their network of contacts in the California fresh produce sector. 
  • Increased market knowledge: Buyers gained deeper insight into market trends, available products, and business opportunities in California. 
  • Strengthened business relationships: Contacts established during the mission open the door to future collaborations and business agreements. 

ANTAD 2024     

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. 

WUSATA Trade Mission

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.

Seafood Trade Mission to Oregon.

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). 

Latin America Outbound Trade Mission 

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. 

WUSATA IN ANTAD 2022

Six companies from the Western United States belonging to WUSATA, participated in ANTAD 2022, offering their products in the show’s American pavilion, meeting with self-service buyers with the aim of incorporating their products into the Mexican market. The attending companies were:

  • Agropur
  • Primo Pup
  • Eagle Eye Produce
  • Carrel Exports
  • American Trading International
  • Washington State Department of Agriculture

Imalinx oversaw assisting the American companies with the coordination of meetings with supermarkets, importers and distributors in the booth and outside of it, achieving the presence of more than 15 importers and supermarkets at the event.

This edition of ANTAD turned out to be effective, since our visiting companies from the Western United States were able to set up successful meetings with several buyers in search of new products.

SIAL America – Inbound trade mission 

A success story of a great opportunity for six Mexican buyers (Comercializadora Mexport, Casa Ley, Grupo Cimarron, Hanseatik, Good Express and Dualmex) where, through the support of WUSATA, they traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend the SIAL America’s first show edition and the Pizza Expo show with the objective of increasing their portfolio. 

Our buyers had one-on-one meetings with more than 28 suppliers from the Western United States looking to enter the Mexican market. These meetings took place inside and outside the SIAL America show and they as well had the opportunity to visit 3 American supermarkets to learn more about products and current trends in the United States.  

Onion inbound trade mission – Idaho and Oregon

On behalf of the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA), an inbound trade mission was carried out in Idaho and Oregon with 4 buyers from Mexico with the objective of meeting with exporters of onions in both states. The following companies participated in the trade mission: 

• Casa Chávez

• Frescos del Sureste 

• Comestibles Maldonado 

• Coliman 

The buyers visited Idaho and Oregon to meet with 6 exporters and learn about their facilities and the harvesting process. As a result of the trade mission, there were purchases of around 4-6 loads of onion by importers. 

Mexico added-value Outbound Trade Mission in Mexico City and Monterrey with a Central American and regional buyers delegation.

On behalf of the Western United States Agicultural Trade Association (WUSATA), a trade mission was carried out in Mexico City and Monterrey with 16 US exporters with the objective of creating commercial ties between importers from Mexico and Central America and Western United States exporters. 3 importers from Central America were present at the business rounds in Mexico City; importers visited us from Colombia, Costa Rica and El Salvador. And in Monterrey we were accompanied by 4 regional importers from Tijuana, Mexicali and Chihuahua. 

One on one meetings were held at the hotel facilities, resulting in a total of 275 meetings with an average of 17 meetings per exporter. There were on-site sales. In the Monterrey portion, the US consulate general was present at the meetings and had the opportunity to meet with the exporters and trade members.