A
trade mission was coordinated to visit three major Colombian cities where
potential buyers from the country met.
The
commercial mission took place from the 23rd to the 27th of February in Bogotá,
Medellín and in Cartagena, more than 150 meetings were held with potential
buyers in the country where they had the opportunity to present their products.
The Agro-Commercial
Office, MS Consultoría and the Chamber of Commerce of Cartagena
attended the event.
The Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Karen Ross, visited Mexico with a delegation of 16 people from different sectors of food and agriculture.
A
tour was conducted in one of the most emblematic markets in Mexico City,
“Mercado Jamaica”, also Imalinx coordinated special events with high
profile guests, appointments in SAGARPA, ANTAD, Wal-Mart and a
business panel with Mexican importers.
More
event reviews:
http://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/?
p=6655%20http://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/? p=6650
During May and July, three sessions of the Culinary Institutes Program coordinated by Imalinx on behalf of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council were held in renowned culinary schools located in Mexico City and Cancun, important tourist destinations and high implementation of gastronomy.
These
sessions consisted in conference and sample class, which aimed to increase the
knowledge and demand of blueberries through students and future generations of
chefs.
The participant schools were Culinary Institute Corbuse, Centro de Estudios Superiores de San Ángel (CESSA) and Technology Institute of Cancun. (UT)
During
the workshops taught by Chef Jaqueline Garreta, over 200 graduate chefs
and students learned about the origin, cultivation, and main nutritional
benefits of this fruit, as well as the varieties that can be found on the
market, the chemical reaction that they have when combined with other
ingredients or when subjected to different culinary processes, among other
topics.
Subsequently,
we held the sample classes for groups of 30 students on average in which each
of the participants had the opportunity to meet the blueberries and experiment
with them demonstrating their culinary knowledge and creativity cooking
delicious meals and drinks.
Testimonials:
“Good conference! Thank you for helping to expand our creative gastronomic
field.”
– Manuel Hernandez (Bachelor of Science in Gastronomy)
“Excellent conference and excellent
workshop. Our guests were surprised by the gastronomic quality and creativity
of our students. Congratulations!”
-Communication UT Cancun
From
October 17th to October 19th, the Blueberry Council
(USHBC) participated through Imalinx in the consumer show Salud y
Bienestar, directed to consumers and to health and nutritionist
specialists in the industry in Mexico City.
It was the first participation of the blueberry
and it was the only fresh product in the show, which generated a lot of
interest from the participants. Special information was prepared for
nutritionists and physicians, and prescriptions were prepared with a healthy
approach: Whole Grain Blueberry’s Pancake and Blueberry’s Tea.
More than 25,000 attendees and specialized media
were registered, the result was more than USD$15,000 equivalence in media per
publication of content and more than 250,000 readers were reached.
Trade Mission coordinated with WUSATA and the Idaho Potato Commission and executed to increase the market share of Idaho potatoes in new countries of Latin America.
On January 2013, the Idaho Potato Commission in alliance with WUSATA (Western United States Agricultural Trade Association) participated in a Trade Mission to Panama and Colombia.
Several Idaho Potato growers and processors scouted the market and established business relationships with retailers, importers and potential distributors of Idaho Potatoes. The objective of the mission was to learn more regarding the opportunities of this Latin America markets. Idaho potatoes producers and processors prospered in the market and established commercial relationships with potential retailers, importers and distributors for the brand.
The results were effective, as one of the largest retail chains in Panama generated their first purchase order, shortly after the trade mission.
The program, created by Imalinx, was integrated with mass media and direct communication in point of sales by the end of 2012.
Didactic materials were produced and focused on families with children to encourage healthy eating of American popcorn.
The result of the marketing mix led to an increase in sales of 117% in selected stores.
During the second semester of 2012, a social media and retail marketing campaign was developed in Mexico and Costa Rica to promote the consumption of U.S. kernel popcorn.
The objective was to demonstrate consumers the benefits of including popcorn as part of their daily diet. The campaign had a total reach of 1,530,000 consumers in Costa Rica and more than 2,000,000 people in Mexico.
As a result of the campaign, alliances were created with one of the most important cinema chains in Costa Rica, where it was possible to negotiate the most significant points of sale to position U.S. kernel popcorn.
From December to January, in representation of the U.S. Popcorn Board, Imalinx implemented a television campaign with the objective of communicating the different ways of consuming U.S. kernel popcorn.
The participation had national and regional coverage, also publications in magazine-type programs, where the average audience was 2.1 million viewers.
The strategy was developed at the restaurants Teodora, Lucca, Bistro Q and Chino Latino, in which eight dishes were created including beverages, entrees, main courses and desserts. Pomegranates from the west of United States and yellow onions were included as star ingredients.
The objective was to establish a relationship between the gastronomic uses and diffusion to consumers. Visual aids, tent cards and press announcements helped the promotion creating excellent feedback from consumers and restaurant managers.
As representatives of the Blueberry Council, Imalinx organized a sampling activity at the restaurant Jaso, located in Mexico City at Polanco neighborhood.
The chefs, Jared Reardon and Sonia Arias, offered a tasting of six dishes which surprised even the most experienced palate, where blueberries were the source of inspiration of which chefs had to use in this occasion to create never seen before dishes on their menu.
The sampling of the menu had the objective of making the consumption of blueberries more accessible as it is a berry that is little known in our country.