CARANA News

CARANA hosts workshop to increase trade for processed foods from Southern Africa

Participants in USAID-sponsored specialty foods conference

CAPE TOWN, Oct 12, 2006 — On October 11-12, 2006, CARANA organized a special workshop in Cape Town, South Africa to focus special attention on countries benefiting from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and export opportunities in the processed and specialty food and ingredient sectors. To promote and expand exports of these products to the U.S. market, AGOA offers tangible incentives for African countries to continue their efforts to open their economies and build free markets.

Sponsored by USAID, the workshop brought together U.S. and African business representatives and government officials to discuss strengthening commercial partnerships between the United States and Southern Africa through diversifying and increasing exports to U.S. markets in processed foods. The workshop included sessions on retailing, distribution, marketing, financing, supply chain logistics, and important trends. Participants were briefed about U.S. regulatory requirements and techniques to increase exports and distribution to the United States in processed foods, including the US$30 billion American specialty food marketplace.

For Southern African ingredient producers and processed food producers, a special session was devoted to U.S. channels of distribution, including food service suppliers, food manufacturing, and retailing. This session gave participants an opportunity to identify the most appropriate channels of distribution for their products. Producers who have exportable products, but have not yet penetrated the American market, benefited from a “exporting 101” session on conducting market research, identifying distributors, business association partnering, and analyzing the competition. “Advanced” producers who are already exporting to the United States or the European Union learned about expanding their market share, strategies for approaching distributors, food brokers and retailers, and understanding the role each of these entities plays in the marketing of food products in the United States.

Other relevant sessions explored opportunities in the American marketplace by focusing on identifying niche markets, including targeting African-American and African diaspora consumers.

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