Pushing Into New Dynamic Markets

Support from USDA/FAS’ Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) is allowing USDBC to expand its outreach and global presence in several new and underexplored markets. Despite the fact that the tonnage of dry bean exports to the Southeast Asia region remains relatively small given the population size, this is one of the most economically dynamic regions in the world and one that presents significant potential for market share growth. There is particular interest in dry beans for snack foods and dry bean ingredients. With support from the ATP, we were able to participate for the first time in Food and Hotel, Vietnam from April 21 – 26 in Ho Chi Minh City. While still a small show, Food and Hotel provides a critical point of entry for greater market share in Vietnam. For this event, USDBC had its own booth, adjacent to the US Dry Pea and Lentil Council where we displayed several different types of dry beans and informational materials. Between the two booths, we hosted over 200 visitors and held a private meeting with a major manufacturer of moon cake filling (which commonly uses dry beans), which generated numerous trade leads. While dry beans are still a relatively new product to Vietnam, this was an important opportunity to introduce our products to this exciting market.  Next year, we are planning for our display to include some sample bean based dishes for show participants to sample.