FRESNO, CALIFORNIA – First established in 2011 as a component of the City of Fresno’s economic development strategy to find innovative ways to increase commerce for the City of Fresno and the broader 8-county San Joaquin Valley’s food production industry, the Fresno Food Expo will return for a third year on March 14, 2013 with additional and more aggressive goals in mind.
The Fresno Food Expo has grown incrementally since 2011 in both the number of participating buyers and exhibitors. In 2011, the inaugural Fresno Food Expo drew 175 qualified domestic buyers and 65 regionally owned and headquartered exhibitors from the 4-county Central Valley region. In 2012, the Expo grew significantly, drawing 430 domestic and a few international buyers and 85 exhibitors from the expanded 8-county San Joaquin Valley.
Now, as organizers focus on the 2013 Fresno Food Expo, a concentrated effort is being put forth to expand the number of qualified international buyers that attend the show with goals of providing a full experience of showcasing the region and its diverse and innovative products. To better implement this outreach, the City of Fresno and Fresno Food Expo have formed a strategic partnership with the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) California Centers for International Trade Development (CITD) to recruit qualified buyers from Canada, Mexico and the Pacific Rim. The goal is to bring 25 qualified international buyers from these focused areas to the 2013 Expo as part of an organized buying mission put together by CITD.
“In just the two years of the Fresno Food Expo, we have seen incredible business growth among our exhibitors, and the potential for larger growth is within reach with the introduction of exporting food products grown and manufactured right here in the San Joaquin Valley to countries all over the world," Mayor Swearengin said. "Each transaction will have a positive economic impact on our region. Partnerships like ours with CITD help to navigate success for our exhibitors through connections, education and mentoring. We are excited to continue to bring new opportunities to food companies in the San Joaquin Valley.”
The opportunity to host international buying missions at the Fresno Food Expo adds to the already wide range of buyers who attend the show and will provide even greater opportunities for economic growth in the San Joaquin Valley through an exponentially larger trickle-down effect. The impact comes from expanded production capabilities; job creation to meet those expanded production needs; increased demand for ingredients, packaging and brand marketing; expanded infrastructure to support increased volume and delivery systems needed to move the product.
“The value of hosting an international buying mission tied to the only regional food show of its scale in the nation provides a level of synergy in both our organizations’ mission to grow export opportunities for food producing businesses in the region. The CITD is experienced with setting up and executing buying missions, but this marks first time we have partnered with a regional food show and we are excited to collaborate on connecting Valley food producers to new export opportunities,” said Candy Hansen-Gage, Director, State Center Community College District, California Centers for International Trade Development.
As part of this new partnership and focused effort on international buyers, Fresno Food Expo organizers recently hosted a “Fresno Food Expo Pavilion” at the CITD’s Taste of California Trade Show & Conference held in Oakland, California on November 5 – 7. The event brought in 70 qualified buyers from 10 different countries to meet one-on-one with food producers from throughout California. Nine San Joaquin Valley food producers, who are past participants of the Fresno Food Expo, also participated in the “Fresno Food Expo Pavilion” including Fresno-based Valley Lahvosh Baking Company. The family owned and operated company, celebrating 90 years in business this year, distributes its Armenian crackerbread to retail outlets and foodservice throughout the nation. This milestone year also marks the start of new market expansion for Valley Lahvosh Baking Company as it begins exploring methods to export its product.
“I would have never expected to be talking about exporting our product, but through our involvement in the Fresno Food Expo these past two years, including serving on the advisory committee last year, I have been provided an invaluable networking opportunity that has opened the door for us to think bigger as a company – exploring new market growth in ways we hadn’t before,” said Agnes Saghatelian Wilson, the third generation owner of Valley Lahvosh Baking Company. “It is because of the networking and resource connections made through the Fresno Food Expo that exporting is becoming a reality, one that can provide significant growth for our company.”
Local company, La Tapatia Torilleria, Inc. knows about the importance of a good export strategy when looking to gain international buyers’ interest and their Export Director, Dan Soleno, has experience in collaborating with the CITD and has benefited from numerous buying missions abroad. The company currently holds 70% of the market share for tortilla chips in South Korea and is continuing its growth into China after making a key contact at the 2012 Fresno Food Expo with an export company in Shanghai. This relationship has put them in contact with five distributors in China. “The international buying potential is huge. These key contacts made provide new avenues for growth within the company and open up new market potential,” said Soleno.
The Fresno Food Expo Advisory Committee is encouraging all food and beverage producers that are owned and headquartered within the 8-county San Joaquin Valley region to register for the 2013 Expo. Space is limited to 110 so early registration is encouraged. Deadline for registration is February 15, 2013. Registration form is available at http://fresnofoodexpo.com/registration/vendor.
Buyers who attend the 2013 Fresno Food Expo will have the opportunity to see, taste and experience the wide range of food and beverages from the 8-county San Joaquin Valley. It is the only regional food show of its kind showcasing product exclusively from the region that feeds over one-third of the world. Buyer registration is free to all qualified retail, foodservice buyers, distributors, chefs and restaurateurs. Registration is currently open and available at http://www.fresnofoodexpo.com/registration/buyer.
For more information on the Fresno Food Expo or its exhibitors, please visit www.FresnoFoodExpo.com.
About State Center Community College District (SCCCD):
State Center Community College District (SCCCD) was formed in 1964 and currently serves approximately one million people and 18 unified and high school districts in more than 5,500 square miles of urban and rural territory, including most of Fresno and Madera Counties and portions of Kings and Tulare Counties. Total district enrollment averages over 40,000 students each semester. Its mission is to create lifelong learning and success for all students by providing accountable, accessible, innovative and quality educational and services that enable productive citizenship in a diverse, global society. For more information on SCCCD go to www.scccd.edu.
About California Centers for International Trade (CITD):
Established in 1989, the California Centers for International Trade Development (CITD) are funded by the Chancellor’s Office of the State of California to promote the state’s international trade and competitiveness, assist exporters and importers, and advance economic and job growth. The Fresno CITD has developed a well-trained and highly specialized staff that has the experience to anticipate clients’ needs and the knowledge to respond rapidly to any and all requests for training and technical assistance. The CITD specializes in food and agricultural export assistance and serves California through export training, one-on-one counseling, applied research and participating in CITD hosted buying missions. Since 2005, the Fresno CITD has maintained a Memorandum of Agreement with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Through the MOA, the CITD serves as the “ex officio” export division of CDFA and host all incoming buying mission to California. For more information visit http://fresnocitd.org.
Source: City of Fresno