2024 was the first season in which Imalinx coordinated promotional activities for California grapes. Part of the program targeted major Club retailers, including Costco and Sam’s Club. At Costco, nationwide sampling events were held in 42 stores on November 14th, 15th, and 16th, with additional promotions in 16 top-performing locations on November 23rd. These events featured informational one-pagers highlighting the benefits of California grapes.
Meanwhile, Sam’s Club launched a digital campaign supported by in-store banners across 20 locations in key cities such as Mexico City, Monterrey, and Querétaro from November 14th to 20th. The digital effort, which includes e-commerce and app-based promotions, runs until November 30th, with sales reports to follow.
The California Milk Advisory Board and Popcorn USA participated in Granjaween 2024, event organized by the Granja de las Américas, located in the western part of Mexico City. The event brought together children and influencers, who shared a joyful moment celebrating both Halloween and Día de Muertos within the venue.
The most exciting moment during the celebration was the costume contest, where participants wowed the audience with their creative outfits representing various characters and objects, competing for the prize for the best costume.
Throughout the event, attendees enjoyed a tasting of popcorn made with U.S. popcorn kernels, and chocolate and vanilla ice cream made with 100% California milk. Additionally, kits were given to all the children, and a special popcorn recipe was shared so they and their families could recreate it at home to celebrate Día de Muertos and Halloween together.
On October 19th, 2024, CMAB participated at TEDx San Ángel “Evolution”, both as a sponsorship and with Michael Boccadoro as speaker, as a sustentability expert.
TEDx San Ángel is a independent program of local events, part of TED Talks, a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading ideas.
The event was in Teatro Centenario Coyoacán, around 400 people with very specific profiles, high educational and socioeconomic level, including professionals, entrepreneurs, students, artists attended.
As sponsors we gave samplings of 10 varieties of cheese and 2 of ice cream, we gave a special gift to all the speakers and different gifts to the attendees.
Michael Boccadoro, our speaker, has participated in California’s environmental policy arena for more than 35 years. As president of West Coast Advisors, he specializes in public affairs consulting and has distinctive expertise in environmental, climate, natural resources, and sustainability issues. During his talk “Evolution of Planet-Smart Dairy”, he exposed the efforts and programs that are carried out in California within the dairy industry on issues of sustainability. California is recognized as a world leader in planet-smart dairy farm practices, investing over $2 billion in more than 300 methane reduction projects on the state’s dairy farms.
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.
Imalinx and the Southern United States Agribusiness Trade Association (SUSTA) coordinated the trade mission to Mexico City and Monterrey from October 7th – 10th. Three companies from different categories-snacks, groceries, beef jerky, and multivitamins-registered for the mission.
The mission included one-on-one meetings, supermarket visits, and educational sessions by Imalinx and the Farm Bureau to understand the market in each city. Each company had an average of 5 appointments in each city for a total of 41 meetings during the mission, all with buyers who have specific interest in the exporters.
The supermarket visits were in stores such as Costco, City Market, Chredaui, Ingredienta, HEB and Soriana. The companies were able to better understand their competition in Mexico, price range, indirect competition and different formats available in Mexico City and Monterrey.
On October 2024, the California Raisins Administrative Commitee participated in the first edition of the Sourdough Seminar with Irving Quiroz and Gluten Morgen, who is a renowned baker on social media with a total of 1.7 million followers.
The course was aimed at people dedicated to baking. During the course, Chef Irving highlighted nutritional information, benefits in baking, and general information about California Raisins.
A Sourdough bread with California Raisins was prepared, which allowed participants to observe the benefits of using raisins in baking.
We had communication on our social networks and on the chefs’ profiles, the participants received a kit with gifts from the account and wore an apron with the California Raisins logo throughout the course.
The course was taught in Mexico City and Monterrey with a total of 80 attendees, who were divided into 4 seminars, and a total of 61,018 impressions of communication on social networks were generated.
USRPA (US Rice Producers Association) , in collaboration with the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía, organized a training session for 6th-semester students who were taking the course on grains and seeds. The event was attended by 14 students and aimed to instruct them on the advantages of using American long-grain rice. During the session, two recipes were developed: rice and shrimp croquettes, and orange rice pudding, where the star ingredient was American long-grain rice.
The collaboration between USRPA and the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía allowed for a theoretical class where the advantages and differentiators of American long-grain rice were explained. Subsequently, the students put these learnings into practice by developing the two mentioned recipes. All participants received a recognition for their participation, highlighting the importance of both practical and theoretical learning. The results of this session were highly positive.
The training session not only achieved its educational objectives, but also inspired students to explore new culinary possibilities with American long-grain rice.
Popcorn and CMAB participated as a sponsor in the event Restaurants Choice, organized by Players of Life, which awards the best restaurants in Monterrey and its metropolitan area. With the presence of international judges and more than 100 restaurateurs, including restaurant owners and directors of chains, the event focused on recognizing the best in each category.
During the event, they had a prominent presence on printed and electronic banners, as well as direct interaction with the restaurateurs and directors. The brand’s innovative programs were presented and collaboration opportunities were discussed, using various communication channels to ensure an effective message.
The results were notable: They achieved more than 30 direct contacts interested in future collaborations, and a large part of the attendees recognized the brands as a key player in the sector, strengthening its presence in the restaurant industry.
We participated in Grill Master in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico during the month of August promoting Idaho potatoes and the 3-pound HEB package.
Grill Master is one of the most prominent and recognized events for barbecue enthusiasts in Mexico. It brings together the best grillers and a multitude of BBQ fans, creating the perfect environment to be present with Idaho Potatoes and 38,000 people attend.
The attendees enthusiastically received tastings, praising the flavor and freshness of our products. In addition, we took the opportunity to distribute promotional items with the image of Idaho potatoes and our beloved Spuddy Buddy, capturing the attention and interest of the participants, and strengthening the recognition of our brand in the public.
We had the expert support of Chef Humberto Villareal who prepared the potatoes in different ways: Mashed potatoes with skin and butter, Roasted Potato with Pork Belly and Idaho Potato Salad.
Currently, Russet potatoes have broken sales records with the retailer!
We had an approach with Pinche Gringo BBQ through the MLB event organized by the Agricultural Trade Office in Mexico city.
It is a chain with 8 restaurants in Mexico City. We saw a great opportunity to participate by integrating Idaho potatoes into some of their recipes and considering different types of support such as IPC-branded materials, uniforms, etc.
We committed to providing them with gradual support once the budget is finalized. Dubacano is the importer that delivers the potatoes to them on a weekly basis.
| Load | Weight in kg | Weight in lbs |
| Weekly load: 18 sacks | 405 | 891 |
| Monthly load: 72 sacks | 1,620 | 3,564 |
| Annual load: 864 sacks | 19,440 | 42,768 |
We have a Spuddy Buddy in LED that we will provide as part of IPC’s support materials.
All of these efforts will help us gain presence and raise brand awareness among their restaurant attendees.
They are very excited to work together to achieve the expected results for both parties.