 Six Wisconsin cheese companies were represented at Gulfood 2023, February 20-24 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Using funds provided through the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports (WIAE)*, staff from DATCP's International Agribusiness Center organized the pavilion space and recruited companies to participate in-person. Along with exhibiting at this popular food expo, DATCP staff and representatives from the participating companies also visited several grocery stores to learn more about the retail market in the UAE.
 Staff from DATCP’s International Agribusiness Center (IABC), as well as representatives from seven Wisconsin food companies and organizations, attended the Food and Hotel Asia Singapore show in April 2023. IABC Economic Development Consultant Lisa Stout coordinated Food Export Midwest’s Food Show Plus services at the show. These trade show enhancement services provided material translation, assistance with exhibitor booths, help scheduling one-on-one meetings with interested buyers, and assistance reviewing top contacts for follow-up.
Pictured above (from left) are Agricultural Marketing Specialist Alice Chai-Kwek (US Embassy in Singapore); IABC Economic Development Consultant Lisa Stout; and ATO Agricultural Attaché Karen Richards.
 TUTTOFOOD is the most important trade show event in southern Europe, hosting more than 2,500 exhibitors from 45 countries. Two Wisconsin companies had a presence at this year’s trade show, held in Milan, Italy at the beginning of May 2023. During the show, Shirley Acedo, Economic Development Consultant with DATCP’s International Agribusiness Center, helped promote Wisconsin-made food products to more than 700 hosted buyers from 80 countries. Acedo also met with local industry leaders and USDA personnel.
 The Moroccan government has new initiative, “Green Morocco,” which aims to reach food self-sufficiency within the next few years, with millions of dollars being invested in growing and improving the country’s milk production efforts. At the SIAM conference, held in Morocco at the beginning of May 2023, Moroccan farmers learned that genomics and good cow management are important tools for improving milk production. Attendees also had the opportunity to see the advances and the quality of USA livestock genetics and feed products.
Krista Knigge, Administrator of DATCP's Division of Agricultural Development (pictured above), spoke at the conference.
 Last month, staff members from DATCP’s Division of Agricultural Development welcomed foodservice and hospitality buyers from Japan for a four-day buyers mission across Wisconsin. Organized by the Wisconsin Beef Council and the United States Meat Export Federation, with funding provided by one of DATCP’s Export Expansion Grants, the buyers spent their week in Wisconsin touring cattle and dairy farms, meat packing and processing facilities, and restaurants specializing in beef cuts and entrees. Following the tour of Wisconsin, the buyers travelled to Chicago for the National Restaurant Show.
Date: July 27, 2023 at 7:30 a.m. CDT
Location: Online
Wisconsin cheese companies and cheese exporters can learn about the Thai market directly from importers from the country! The U.S. Agricultural Trade Office will share information on how to get your products registered in Thailand.
Interested in participating? Contact:
Lisa Stout, Economic Development Consultant
Email: lisa.stout@wisconsin.gov
Phone: (608) 514-4538
 Date: August 12-19, 2023
Location: Madison, Milwaukee, Sheboygan/Kohler, Green Bay, and Viroqua/La Crosse
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, along with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, are working together to coordinate a tour for international chefs and food influencers this August. Chefs and food influencers will visit from Algeria, El Salvador, India, Kuwait, Mexico, Paraguay, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The tour group will visit culinary stops in Madison, Milwaukee, the Sheboygan area, Green Bay, and Viroqua/La Crosse. Wisconsin food companies and food/agricultural associations/organizations are being sought to participate in this weeklong tour.
Interested in participating? Contact:
Lisa Stout, Economic Development Consultant
Email: lisa.stout@wisconsin.gov
Phone: (608) 514-4538
Date: October 23-27, 2023
Location: Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea
Spend a week meeting one-on-one with interested buyers in Tokyo and Seoul! There are tremendous opportunities for U.S. exporters willing and able to follow the strict Japanese product regulations and keep up with the latest trends in this market. Under the U.S.–Japan Free Trade Agreement (USJTA, effective January 1, 2020) nearly 90% of U.S. food and agricultural imports into Japan are either duty-free or receive preferential tariff access. Despite escalated competition from export-oriented competitors, consumer-oriented American products continue to lead the expansion of the export market in Korea, which reflect Korean consumers’ increased demand for better value, quality and diversity. The Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement, (KORUS), implemented in 2012, coupled with ongoing evolvement of the Korean food market, should generate greater export opportunities for American products in Korea in the coming years.
Interested in participating? Contact:
Lisa Stout, Economic Development Consultant
Email: lisa.stout@wisconsin.gov
Phone: (608) 514-4538
Date: January 29 - February 2, 2024
Location: Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand
Join DATCP in Thailand for a Wisconsin cheese brand awareness seminar and product showcase, as well as meetings with importers, site visits to retailers and food service providers, and more! The objective for Thailand events include:
- Introducing Wisconsin companies and their products to Thai importers and buyers;
- Generating awareness of artisan Wisconsin cheeses to retail, food service operators, specialty cheese shops, and other retailers;
- Increasing Wisconsin companies' awareness of the Thai market, and opportunities to meet with potential Thai buyers;
- Generating Wisconsin cheese awareness to Thai consumers and trade through online and offline media.
Interested in participating? Contact:
Lisa Stout, Economic Development Consultant
Email: lisa.stout@wisconsin.gov
Phone: (608) 514-4538
Food Export’s 2023 Export Advisor Program is now open and accepting registrations.
The Export Advisor Program is a no-cost, year-long service providing custom assistance to help food companies kick-start or improve their strategy for export growth. This is a great program for any company that is both interested in exporting and could use support from an export consultant for market research and strategy development.
Wayne Batwin will be handling the Advisor Program for Midwest companies in 2023. Companies can learn more and register at foodexport.org.
DATCP, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), invites Wisconsin agribusinesses to apply for International Market Access Grants (IMAG).
Coordinated by WEDC, IMAGs provide funding to support a company’s specific export development and deployment strategy. The Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports (WIAE)* expands WEDC’s existing IMAG program by designating funds solely for agribusinesses. Applicants must be an established agribusiness that is new to exporting or is expanding into new markets; that has been operating in Wisconsin for at least one year; and that manufactures, processes, assembles, or distributes a product that has the potential to be exported.
Companies that have not completed ExporTech™ training can receive IMAG funding up to three times, with a maximum of $10,000 per grant. ExporTech™ graduates can receive IMAG funding up to six times, with a maximum of $25,000 per grant. Matching funds are required at 30% of the grant award. Eligible project expenses include costs associated with trade shows and ventures, marketing, promotions, consulting services, and export education.
The application period for FY24 will open on July 1, 2023 and will close on October 31, 2023.
Application materials can be requested by contacting:
Katie Ujdak, Global Trade & Investment Grants Specialist
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Email: katie.ujdak@wedc.org
Phone: (608) 210-6773
The next Wisconsin Agricultural Export Advisory Council (WAXC) meeting is scheduled to be held on September 6, 2023, starting at 9 a.m. The WAXC will also host a series of informational webinars in the coming year.
These webinars are scheduled for:
- August 16, 2023
- November 15, 2023
- December 13, 2023
- January 17, 2024
For more information, visit the DATCP website.
Dates: August 30, September 27 and November 1, 2023
ExporTech™ is for emerging and experienced exporters to develop their strategic export plan. Over three full-day sessions, the CEO/president and senior leaders in sales/marketing, finance, and operations can join with other non-competing companies to determine your top three export markets and develop an actionable, strategic plan.
Agricultural product companies, from processed foods, grains and mink pelts to livestock, genetics and more, are encouraged to participate. Funding from the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports supports the agricultural producers and WEDC supports agricultural processors in this beneficial program.
Companies graduating from ExporTech™ realize between $600,000 and $1,000,000 in average incremental exports growth one year after completing the program.
For more information please contact:
Heidi Rabeneck, Outreach Program Manager
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Email: rabeneckh@uwstout.edu
Phone: (715) 232-5506
One of the Export Expansion Grant projects supported by the WIAE* is a survey of dairy processors to understand the number of, and the barriers facing, dairy product exporters. Please consider participating if you are a dairy processor. If you know of dairy processors who may not be aware of this survey, please share the information below. The following is a message from UW-Madison Associate Professor Dr. Charles (Chuck) Nicholson:
With support of the UW-Madison Dairy Innovation Hub and the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports, we are conducting a research study on the current degree of participation by Wisconsin dairy companies in export markets and the most important barriers to entering or expanding presence in dairy export markets. To address these issues, we have developed an online survey with questions about your company's current involvement — or lack thereof — in dairy product export markets and the opportunities and challenges associated with it. Sharing your company’s experience with dairy export markets will provide helpful information to the development of future programs to support expansion of Wisconsin's dairy product exports.
We estimate that this survey should take 10-20 minutes to complete. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be made available or reported to any individual or organization other than the researchers, Dr. Chuck Nicholson, and Dr. Mark Stephenson of UW-Madison. No individual company data will be reported in any form, only aggregated survey results. If you have questions or concerns regarding the survey, we are happy to discuss them.
Thank you for your assistance with this research effort.
Dr. Charles Nicholson
Agricultural & Applied Economics 442 Animal Science Building University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53705
Email: cfnicholson@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 890-0924
Supported by the Dairy Innovation Hub and WIAE.*
*The Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports (WIAE), a collaborative project between DATCP and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), aims to boost the export of dairy, meat, and crop products by promoting Wisconsin agricultural products in the international marketplace. The WIAE was proposed in Gov. Tony Evers 2021-23 biennial state budget.
For more information on the WIAE, sign up for email updates and visit the DATCP website.
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