Real California Milk at Expo Meat and Dairy Expo

Real California Milk participated in Expo Carnes y Lácteos 2025 from March 1 to 6, marking the first edition to include the dairy sector in Mexico’s most important event for innovation and commercialization of meat and dairy products. This event was a key opportunity to strengthen the presence of its cheeses in the Mexican market, attract potential clients and business partners, and support distributors in the southern region. 

During the expo, the Real California team distributed brochures with information about the product catalog, highlighting its superior quality. Additionally, meetings were held with interested clients and distributors, and cheese tastings featuring Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Cheddar, and premium cheeses received highly positive feedback on their flavor and quality. 

Campaign with Aztlan

On January 18th and 19th, two activation days were held at Aztlán amusement park as part of a month-long campaign aimed at promoting informed popcorn consumption. The goal was to educate visitors about the origin, nutritional benefits, and everyday uses of popcorn. This campaign was seamlessly integrated with the park’s attractive menu of flavored popcorn options an initiative led by the park itself in collaboration with one of the popcorn distributors in Mexico. 

Throughout January, the campaign maintained a strong presence across the park with branding featured on popcorn stand frames, food menu boards, and digital screens in key areas. With an estimated 2,000 daily visitors, the park provided an ideal setting to reach a broad and diverse audience. During the two activation days, 800 people actively participated in interactive activities that highlighted the benefits of U.S. popcorn and encouraged a more conscious approach to its consumption, all within a fun and family-friendly environment. 

The combined efforts of the educational campaign and the park’s flavorful popcorn offering created a cohesive and appealing experience for guests. This helped reinforce the positioning of U.S. origin popcorn in a setting that celebrates entertainment and popular culture. The collaboration between campaign partners and local stakeholders proved effective in expanding reach and impact, laying the foundation for future initiatives in high-traffic, high-consumption venues. 

Popcorn at Christmas in the park

On December 21st, a special activation took place at Six Flags Mexico as part of a month-long campaign designed to raise awareness about the origin of U.S. popcorn, its benefits, and its various uses. Taking advantage of the park’s high foot traffic during the holiday season, the campaign featured prominent branding on official popcorn containers and menu boards at food stations, achieving an estimated daily visibility of 5,000 people. 

During the main activation day, more than 1,400 people actively participated in engaging activities aimed at educating them about popcorn’s origin, its versatility as a healthy snack, its role in the Mexican market, and common consumption occasions. These interactions provided valuable insight into consumer awareness—approximately 30% of participants were already familiar with the U.S. origin of popcorn and its significance in Mexico. 

The collaboration with Six Flags proved to be an ideal platform to expand the campaign’s reach and connect with a broad, diverse audience in a fun and familiar setting. With a combination of consistent visibility throughout December and a high-impact activation, the initiative helped reinforce the positioning of U.S. popcorn, promote informed consumption, and lay the groundwork for future efforts in the entertainment and mass consumption sectors. 

Grapes sampling and digital promotions in Club retailers in Mexico

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. 

SEAFOOD SHOWCASE EVENT  

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. 

Espacio Food & Service

On October 1, 2, and 3, 2024, Imalinx, together with the California Milk Advisory Board, participated for the third time in the Espacio Food & Service event in Santiago de Chile, Chile to continue developing relationships with key members of the dairy industry and generate new opportunities for different products such as cheese, butter, ice cream, among others. 

The execution of the event included activities such as a presentation of the Chilean market by the United States Agro-Commercial Office in Chile, a visit to the most relevant supermarkets in the region and an area within Espacio Food & Service to do tastings of specialty cheese boards and pizza, appointments with more than 15 interested companies and the follow-up and presentation of promotional programs that the California Dairy Council can manage once the products are on the market. 

“The participation of the California Milk Advisory Board in the show, together with the new trends that we see among consumers, will enhance the opportunity for new and specialty products to the Chilean market where we do not have such unique and differentiated varieties.” Dairy Importer in Chile. 

Culinary school training with American rice

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. 

Players of life

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. 

P GRINGO BBQ

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.  

 LoadWeight 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. 

Material support to Zespri merchandisers

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.