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.
An important support provided by Kiwi Zespri is the delivery of materials to traditional market vendors who handle the product. Some of the materials are: pennants, tarpaulins, recipe books, market bags, spoons, bin covers, borders, danglers and tasting boxes. These materials make Kiwi Zespri displays more visible and therefore sell more product.
Something new this year was the delivery of Zespri Umbrellas, which were very well received and have signaled the markets where our consumers now know where to find both Zespri Green and Zespri Sungold.
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:
As part of IPC’s retail support efforts, we held l Potato Lover’s Month from April 8, 2024, to May 17, 2024, with the goal of increasing the supply and sales of Idaho potatoes in participating stores.
POS materials were sent out and used for displays. Store staff were assisted with setting up and maintaining the displays. The stores with the highest increase in sales were the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. The displays were posted on the Idaho Potato Facebook Page and were put to a vote based on the number of likes to determine a winner.
The Potato Lovers Month at HEB in 2024 was a success with unit sales increasing over 50%, thanks to the participation and enthusiasm of the managers and associates at each store.
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.
From January to March, American Pistachio Growers activated a campaign with Cocina Vital called Academia de Pistache where information was shared about the history of pistachios, the health benefits they provide, downloadable recipes, and articles.
The academy consisted of 3 different modules where users could register and get certified. The campaign was amplified on Cocina Vital’s different digital channels such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, and Website.
In total, 3,418,308 impressions and 42,683 clicks were obtained. User interaction confirms the interest that exists in pistachios and multiple options to integrate them into recipes
Video recap: https://vimeo.com/988643086/0499d6d1d8?share=copy
On February 26, Pistachio Day is celebrated worldwide. This year, American Pistachio Growers did different activities to celebrate and let the world know why pistachios are everyone’s favorite snack.
Campaigns were carried out with different media in order to spread the message through digital platforms, including reels, recipes, posts, and detailed editorial notes. One of the favorites was the pistachio butter that Gastronauta DF made with a spectacular production, where in addition to having the pistachio as the protagonist, it included green elements to combine it with the product.
In total, 36 articles were published about Pistachio Day, impacting 685,000 people. Media such as Cosmopolitan, Selecciones and Kena highlighted the benefits of American pistachios, as well as their versatility in food.
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).