AMI Blog

At the 2024 Institute for Food Technologists meeting in Chicago, one message was clear: AI is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a business necessity in the food industry. While AI once served primarily as a tool for managing big data, it has now become essential for driving efficiency, accelerating product innovation, and optimizing workforce productivity. More Information

The economic integration between Canada and the U.S. is the largest in the world, and trade policy changes which are now being proposed could have enormous repercussions for both countries. North American food and beverage companies rely heavily on trading relationships between the U.S. and Canada. Below are how these trading relationships and partnerships interactMore Information

Since 2004, Athena Marketing International (AMI) has been the trusted partner for leading North American food and beverage brands looking to accelerate their international growth. Over the past 20+ years, AMI has proven time and again that expanding into global markets isn’t just an opportunity—it’s a strategic imperative. Our track record with both emerging andMore Information

AMI is now in the Philippines visiting its key customers, including S&R, the largest retailer in the Philippines with 30 large format club stores: https://www.snrshopping.com/. AMI sells several U.S. brands to S&R, including one of their top-sellers, SPARKLING ICE, the #1 flavored sparkling water brand in the U.S. (Talking Rain Beverage Co.).

When I started this business nearly 20 years ago, I deeply internalized the truth that when countries trade together, they do not fight one another. Our ethos remains grounded in trust and respect with an overarching purpose to promote peace between nations through trade. The branded customers we attract, and the international partners with whomMore Information

AMI supported one of its pet care brands at SuperZoo in Las Vegas August 16-18, one of the world’s leading trade shows for the retail pet food, supplements and supplies industry: https://www.superzoo.org/ To learn more about building your brand and sales globally, contact AMI for a free strategic consultation: https://athenaintl.com/contact/

Most businesses seeking to enter a new foreign market do not have the contacts nor expertise to identify, assess and select the best local distributor partner for them. AMI has been selecting and working with leading distributors, importers and retailers in 130+ countries for nearly 20 years. Below are some tips and advice on findingMore Information

Snack consumption in 2022 increased despite inflation and supply reductions by manufacturers. This growth is expected to continue in 2023, with better-for-you and innovative snacks driving the category growth. The top trends that we will encounter in 2023 include a resurgence of snacking on the go, unique flavor offerings, perception of affordable prices, and healthierMore Information

As consumers continue to look for healthier alternatives from traditional beverages such as soda and juices that contain ingredients with high sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other additives we are continuing to see the rise in better for you beverages. Today’s consumer is expecting more from their beverage than just hydration, they need something that canMore Information

Inflation has been a concern for most people and there are constant reminders in our everyday lives. From milk to gasoline to hotel rates it seems that prices are on the rise wherever we look. What does this mean for US exporters? Is this the right time to focus on international trade? Let’s explore theMore Information

All businesses worldwide, whether they are manufacturers, exporters, importers or focused entirely on their home markets, were impacted by the supply chain issues over the past three years. The shortages in a variety of inputs including food ingredients, packaging materials, production equipment and others, coupled with huge increases in freight and energy costs, exposed theMore Information

“Forward-thinking brands have used this unfortunate time as a wake-up call to modernize antiquated operations and those who already have are much better positioned to mitigate disruptions with as little impact as possible.” The ever-rising cost of ingredients has forced many companies to innovate or change up their recipes altogether. The companies that innovated priorMore Information

You’ll know it’s the right time to expand your brand into new countries when the following have happened: 1. You are profitable for 3 consecutive years. You don’t have to see significant growth YOY, just consecutive years with a profit. 2. Once you’ve exhausted the potential in your current market. If you have maximized yourMore Information

Unsurprisingly, concerns around supply chain have increased significantly in the past three years. “After analyzing transcripts from more than 30,000 company earnings calls across 12 industries from early 2018 to April of this year, Avnet found that supply chain was mentioned as a concern in 22% of grocery earnings calls in 2018, 90% in 2020More Information

The social environment around you often drives the purpose and values you bring into your company. As you grow and add more members to your team, the values are likely to become more influenced by cultural mores. When taking your brand to other international markets, you may find there is a need to align yourMore Information

The benefits of hiring an S&M consultant to help you grow internationally are huge! At AMI, we guarantee that we will increase your brand exposure and develop export sales leads by reaching nearly 20,000 buyers in 130+ countries.   Contact us today for a free strategic consultation.

“Energy drinks, as a category, are hot… because the category is ripe for upstarts and newbies, those with a dream to quench their creative and entrepreneurial thirsts.” This category has come a very long way from its origins and offers a major opportunity for international growth. Read more here.  

When expanding a brand into new markets, brand awareness can be one of the biggest hurdles to get over. You can work with the best distributors and get your products into all the right channels, but you will still need to ensure that consumers choose your products. Brand awareness is critical to inspire customers toMore Information

The global demand for #altprotein is only going to keep growing as product taste and quality improves. If your company is excelling in North America already, is it time to consider going global? If so, AMI can help! Contact us today for a free strategic consultation. Learn more here.    

Sustainable sourcing is one of the most effective ways that food and beverage brands can support healthy supply chains, reduce their climate impact and give customers a product that aligns with their values. Learn more here.

Major global brands are following consumer trends to focus on convenience and plant based foods. While this drives up competition in the global marketplace, it also signals the consumer shift is about to swell to a full tide which will increase demand for both big brands and specialty/niche brands alike! Learn more here.

Many brand owners of North American companies frequently ask me, “How do we overcome the regulatory hurdles to access high-growth foreign markets?” This is a difficult but achievable and necessary challenge to overcome for most brands. Below are the primary aspects to consider when seeking to enter new export markets:   ✔Ensure your Ingredient Statements,More Information

The global food packaging industry is expected to have huge growth over the next several years, with APAC leading the pack. Learn more here.  

One of the most critical components of success in the global markets is keeping your partners accountable. Too often North American brands will consider their international distributors “out of sight, out of mind.” We sometimes treat our foreign partners as if all we are interested in is their large Purchase Orders. You will receive theseMore Information

Some interesting info in this article. What this really signals to us is that F&B brands looking to expand globally should consider the social values of each market they are considering expanding into, though real time data can sometimes tell a different story about what consumers are doing when no one is looking. Check itMore Information

Upcoming restaurant trends similar to consumer trends, showing a strong trajectory within the F&B industry. Learn more here.

Agility is defined as the “ability to think and understand quickly.” In today’s global business landscape, that management skill is more critical than ever to a company’s success. Agility, and the ability to finesse challenges and obstacles on a global scale, can be developed in the following ways: -Challenge the assumptions and conclusions of yourMore Information

Have you considered including important influencers to help you market your products in new international markets? From household names like Kim Kardashian for Beyond Meat, to smaller regional influencers that can have a huge impact with key target audiences, more and more brands are leveraging those with social influence to sell their brand and products.More Information

European businesses have always been more risk-averse than their North American counterparts. Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, preceded by a global pandemic, has exacerbated Europe’s caution. Most European retailer buyers are still not taking in-person meetings with brands. They are reluctant to take on new products given the current geopolitical volatility. Nonetheless, we see this situationMore Information

Part of what AMI offers our clients is a long term plan to succeed in global markets. Knowing what consumers want in various regions and how those trends are projected to change is a critical component to helping you achieve your long range goals. Let’s chat about how consumer expectations and desires will shape yourMore Information

Interesting info in this article. What this really signals to us is that F&B brands looking to expand globally should consider the social values of each market they are considering expanding into, though real time data can sometimes tell a different story about what consumers are doing when no one is looking. Check it outMore Information

Trade spend by manufacturers/brands effectively reduces pricing to retailer or foodservice customers and the consumers who purchase the promoted products. Its goals are to enhance brand awareness, stimulate sales, switch consumers from competitive brands, and increase market share. Brands understand that consumers often make decisions at the point-of-sale. For this reason, trade spend is anMore Information

Interestingly enough, as consumers demand cleaner labels and healthier products across all segments of the F&B industry, global powerhouses Mondelez and Nestle see significant growth in the confectionery market in Latin America. Snacks, baked goods and chocolate were also major growth drivers, but Nestle has also invested in plant based and infant nutrition, as wellMore Information

We all know that the Covid pandemic has disrupted supply chains worldwide. Stock outs and raw material shortages defined the past two years. Ports have been either inoperable or backed up and unable to load and unload container ships. Retailer shelves have been sparse, erratic and unstable. All this came about during a period ofMore Information

Did you know that AMI has 16+ years of experience with multiple sales channels: -Consumer packaged branded products in traditional grocery, mass, specialty, drug, & discount retailers -Foodservice products to commercial end-users, national chains, coffee shops, health care, business & industry, education & contract catering -Industrial & bulk ingredients and commodities to manufacturers -E-Commerce platformsMore Information

A huge shift we’re seeing in the Nutrition, Food & Beverage industry is a shift to more health conscious products, especially those that help to manage weight loss and better balance the body systems. Learn more here.

How do North American Food, Beverage & Nutrition brands access and sell into global distribution sales channels? What are the largest channel-specific volume opportunities? What are the easiest and quickest channels to enter? The answers to these questions are, obviously, different for each category, brand and stage of development of the exporter. There are threeMore Information

One of the most dominant buzz words in the F&B industry right now is “clean labeling”. A “clean label” product is one that doesn’t have undesirable ingredients such as certain dyes, chemicals or additives. It may also be organic, sustainable or non-GMO as well. Essentially, it refers to labels with plain language, fewer potentially harmfulMore Information

How do North American Food, Beverage & Nutrition brands access and sell into global distribution sales channels? What are the largest channel-specific volume opportunities? What are the easiest and quickest channels to enter? The answers to these questions are, obviously, different for each category, brand and stage of development of the exporter. There are threeMore Information

Pricing for your export customers is critical to success in the global markets. It also avoids price competition with U.S. trading companies, parallel exporters and distributors such as UNFI, KeHe and Supervalu. There are three main types of pricing available to U.S. exporters: U.S. Distributor Pricing Discounted U.S. Distributor Pricing Marginal Pricing We believe thatMore Information

New research by consumer insights platform Veylinx shows that although just 5 percent of study participants identify as vegan or vegetarian, a vast majority (77 percent) said they could be convinced to buy meat alternatives more frequently. Greater concern for animals or the environment won’t be the biggest drivers of change, according to the research.More Information

When you have solid processes that allow your business to be more agile and scale faster, you set your business up for a greater likelihood of success in global markets. And you ensure that if you are more successful than you expected quicker than expected, you’re able to respond without missing a beat! Have youMore Information

For many companies, developing and manufacturing new nutritional products often means foraying into utilizing ingredients they may not have prior experience with. And experimenting with new natural ingredients is much easier when you have a library of information to research from! Layn Natural Ingredients recently launched a library of information on various botanical ingredients, whichMore Information

Globalization and a rapidly changing market means there are more competing businesses than ever before, especially in the specialty food, beverage and nutrition industries. Innovating is what allows yo u to stand out from the competition, maximize profit margins and provide an outstanding product and experience to customers. Innovations allow you to offer a betterMore Information

Increasing external partnerships is a great way to gain a competitive advantage, especially if you partner with brands that are already saturating the global market. Co-branding and partnerships with local companies are excellent potential strategies for North American brands to enter complex foreign markets. By working together with them, even if they are quasi-competitors, youMore Information

Food and beverage marketers face rising inflation and commodity costs, retailer pricing pressure, tight supply chains, onerous regulations and consumers with a vast array of choices and methods of comparative shopping. Competitive advantages are also becoming more short-lived: E-commerce and the internet offer consumers more buying power and choice than ever. Technology and data-driven decision-makingMore Information

Following up on our recent post about competitive advantages, this article highlights some of the key ways specialty food and nutrition brands (or any company, really) can attract and retain the best talent!Read more HERE.

For both seasoned exporters and new-to-export companies, CEOs should define their objectives, resource allocation and risks. As brands scale in new foreign markets, all three of these components will play a critical factor in their success. Objectives can range from generating cash from new customers, to defending against a major competitor, to testing new productsMore Information

As we land in post-pandemic times, trends point to consumers seeking more and more nutrition based products. But it won’t be as simple as “healthy” or “low fat”. Consumers are looking for more granular information on the specific functional benefits of each product they are choosing, or to the example, a whole blend of productsMore Information

Finding the right technologies and partners to allow you to take your products to the next level is crucial to international success. Growing a global brand means being able to scale production of your products while also matching consumer expectations in various markets. Sustainability is only going to become more important for brands as customersMore Information

This is a great question that has been on the minds of many North American CEO’s in the F&B Export world. The current conflict in Ukraine will have both short-term and long-term implications for North American food, beverage and nutrition products exporters. Short term the global economy (and hence, current and prospective export customers) willMore Information

There are many questions that a North American food & beverage manufacturer has to consider when going global and reaching out into international markets. A common question we are asked is: What are common barriers to selling products internationally? AMI has sold food, beverage, nutritional supplements and consumer goods in over 100 countries. Here areMore Information

Ukraine is a major provider of wheat, corn and barley, among other products used in mass quantities by the food and beverage industries. There is also a high likelihood that energy prices will increase as well, creating higher export costs. The current conflict in Ukraine is expected to result in shortages and significant price increasesMore Information

We recently came across a unique new AI tool that’s set to take the worldwide F&B industry by storm. Being able to accurately predict trends and changes in demand makes it much easier to craft your global go-to-market strategy, which is why we see Tastewise as an excellent opportunity for our clients. Check it outMore Information

“In the past few years, there’s been a spectacular shift as consumers have become more focused on better-for-you products and prioritizing their health and wellness needs. They are also better informed today than ever before. People have become more conscious of the way they shop, consume, and dispose of everyday items.” As new companies enterMore Information

For North American mid-large cap brands in the food, beverage, nutrition and consumer products markets that want to grow internationally, AMI is the sales and business development firm to do it with. Save time and resources by hiring an international sales & marketing team that’s already established in your categories, proven and ready to go.More Information

There are many questions that a North American food & beverage manufacturer has to consider when going global and reaching out into international markets. A common question we are asked is: What are common barriers to selling products internationally? AMI has sold food, beverage, nutritional supplements and consumer goods in over 100 countries. Here areMore Information

Every country in the world has been impacted by the recent COVID-19 health crisis, some more than others.  In the U.S. food and beverage industry, we are seeing the following trends: CPG Trends Brand switching from mainstream to value (decreased brand loyalty) Increase in Private Label Cost valued more than convenience Shift from premium toMore Information

The following trends are from primary research conducted by AMI’s UK representative, which are consistent with retail and foodservice sales trends in other European markets: UK Retail Sales Boom UK grocery sales +20.6% in March vs. LY The Big 4 supermarkets – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda & Morrisons – +17.7% combined Discount retail giants Aldi andMore Information

With a higher basket totals, a preference for premium brands, and an eye for good value, Mexican Millennials, could be a great opportunity for US brands. La participación de los jóvenes mexicanos en el mercado es muy importante, son el segundo grupo con mayor desembolso en productos de consumo masivo, al gastar 4.0 por cientoMore Information

With special lower duty rates and import requirements, cross border e-commerce is a great channel for US companies looking to take their first step into China. Chinese consumers are increasingly e-shopping around the world. According to a study released July 31 by marketing and consulting agency Westwin, 67 percent of Chinese e-commerce consumers had aMore Information

Companies big & small, from whiskey to boats, are reassessing and changing their international strategies. We can help. Time and effort have gone down the drain for Steve Gould, who is scrambling to find new customers for his gin, whiskey and other spirits since the United States has taken a tough stance on trade issues.More Information

From pure online to hybrid on/offline experiences, China’s e-commerce platforms are shaking up the whole grocery industry! Want to know what Amazon.com Inc. will be doing in physical retail tomorrow? Look at what is happening in China today. If you’d taken this advice, you wouldn’t have been surprised when the behemoth spent $13.7 billion lastMore Information

A look at recent changes’ impact on Canadian consumers. A few days after Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, worth a total of CAD$16.6 billion, came into effect, the question still lingers: What impact will this have on consumers at the cash register? Read More »

With 15% compound annual growth, India’s retail market is expected to hit $1.25 TRILLION this year! Total retail sales in India are set to hit $1.25 trillion by the end of this year — more than half of the country’s GDP of $2.3 trillion — as an increasingly digital nation spur people to shop moreMore Information

Chile’s commitment to free trade includes great opportunities for US Exporters. Integration, not isolation, is the key to sustainable development in a world bound ever closely together by information and transportation networks. Chile is committed to forging regional and international economic cooperation that can raise the standard of living for our own people and withMore Information

As Europe’s economies return to growth, some will shine brighter than others. Portugal’s No. 1 retailer Sonae expects the domestic market to grow at one of the fastest rates in Europe until 2022 and plans to open more local supermarkets and boost its online sales to tap the growth. Read More »

Duty free is not just for liquor, cigars, and handbags, it can be a great channel for a variety of quality US products. Global duty free and travel retail sales reached $68.6 billion in 2017, according to preliminary figures from Generation Research. The figures were revealed today by TFWA president, Erik Juul-Mortensen, in his welcomeMore Information

While the buzz has been on e-commerce platforms in China, Europe has a number of homegrown and multinational options to launch on too. Europe is one of the biggest ecommerce markets in the world, together with China and the US. It’s home to major online retailer companies such as Ikea, Zalando and Otto. But whatMore Information

Latin America offers some great opportunities for personal care brands to grow sales! Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile are the most dynamic and robust beauty markets in the Latin America, which is why Cosmetics Design is taking a closer look at the key trends and market data. Read More »

Accounting for all the market entry costs is an important part of any new country launch. Getting on a supermarket shelf in the UAE was never easy … these days it’s getting more so. Especially for new brands trying to catch the shopper’s eye. Read More »

618? 11.11? There is a lot of buzz about online sales in China. AMI can help find the way for your US Brand to tap into this channel that works for you. New Retail was front-and-center at Tmall’s annual 6.18 Shopping Festival, as the Alibaba platform looked to showcase the seamless integration of online andMore Information

With an economy growing at 7% annually, Vietnam’s retails sector is rapidly modernizing and consumers are scouting for premium offerings. Retailers from across Asia are flooding into Vietnam as the country loosens restrictions on foreign companies, racing to bring convenience stores and supermarkets to a market dominated by small business. Read More »

Rules on labeling, pack size, and even where you product can be in the store vary from country to country. For a kid, the most thrilling part of the supermarket is the checkout aisle. Piled with brightly-wrapped candies, it’s the perfect opportunity to test your abilities as a cat burglar—can you sneak a chocolate barMore Information

A great snapshot of the retail segment in this growing market. South Africa’s retail industry can be divided into five categories: wholesale, retail, motor, food and beverages (restaurants and catering) and accommodation. Read More »

With great growth and a penchant for quality goods, the UAE is a wonderful market for US FMCG. The value of retail sales in Dubai is expected to reach $43.8 billion (Dh160.7 billion) by 2021, while the emirate’s retail market is projected to record average growth of 5.6 per cent over the 2018-2021 period, newMore Information

Integrating online and offline strategies is becoming key to success in markets around the globe. China’s leading grocery retailers are forecast to grow at nearly double the rate of the country’s total grocery retail market by 2022, with experts highlighting five factors that will accelerate their advance. Read More »

Premiumization, Innovation, and clean labels are driving European consumers to more frozen food options. For years seen as the less glamorous alternative to fresh, frozen food has been making a quiet comeback across Europe. Olly Abotorabi, senior insights manager at IRI International, considers why demand for frozen is hotting up. Read More »

With the middle class making up 23% of its 170 million population, Nigeria, offers a a great opportunity for the right brands. In spite of its imperfections and newness, retail business had very good showing on entry into Nigeria, most probably because that entry coincided with the emergence (or re-emergence) of the middle class inMore Information

Increasing global awareness of the organic difference, is creating greater export sales opportunities to the Middle East. The appetite for organic foods in Saudi Arabia is on an upward trajectory, with a third of consumers (33 percent) purchasing more in the last 12 months compared to the previous year, according to a new survey. ReadMore Information

Modern grocery chains are taking the customer experience to new heights around the world. Cold Storage at Fusionopolis is a fully self-checkout store that boasts a wide range of ready-to-eat meals, a wine-tasting bar, a dining area and two meeting rooms that customers can book Read More »

While everyone likes a good deal, product quality is what brings European consumers back for more. Plenty of opportunity for premium US brands! Massive opportunity for retailers to invest in better quality to attract more shoppers, new report concludes. Read More »

While domestic sales kept them from achieving their targets, thanks to international sales, Hain Celestial was still able to pull off 7.5% overall growth. It seems that Hain Celestial anticipated a slower quarter, especially in the U.S. After all, the company noted in its earnings report that it expected to see a drop in U.S.More Information

Online or offline, knowing the influential local players can be key your brand’s success in new markets. Claudia Maria de Oliveira is wary of online shopping – but while browsing social media recently, the 49-year-old Brazilian spotted a bargain-priced sandwich press from local retailer Magazine Luiza. She swallowed her doubts and hit the “buy” button.More Information

With 16.9% growth, Korean online sales channels offer some nice opportunities for US brand owners looking to get into export sales. Retail sales in South Korea jumped 14 percent in February compared with a year ago on the back of upbeat sales at both online and brick-and-mortar stores, government data showed Thursday. Read More »

European shoppers are looking for innovative items too and demand is growing! The European grocery retail market will add €377.6 billion in sales to reach €2,289 billion by 2022, with growth in the region driven by the dynamic economies of Central and Eastern Europe, according to new forecasts from international grocery research organisation, IGD. TheMore Information

The often overlooked foodservice channel is rife with opportunities for US Exporters. More flexible menus and an increase of meal occasions from breakfast and all day brunch through to dinner has led to a €4.1bn increase in food service sales in 2017 to €335.9bn according to a new report launched by IRI GIRA Foodservice. TheMore Information

Online channels can be a great way for specialty brands to get started in new markets. Here’s a peek at some the more focused options in the UAE. No more crowded checkout lines. No screaming children to contend with. No need to race home to get the ice-cream into the freezer before it melts. TheMore Information

With great locations and a seemingly ever expanding selection of products, the convenience channel is king in Asia! Convenience stores will be the fastest-growing bricks and mortar channel in Asia over the next five years, as retailers expand their networks and shoppers change their shopping habits. Read More »

Japanese retailers are changing to meet their customers’ needs and US better for you products and healthy foods will definitely be in demand. For Japan’s older consumers, a trip to the shops is about much more than buying goods as the country’s retailers rethink how they’re catering for this growing demographic. Read More »

Modern Retail, including supermarkets and convenience stores, in Southeast Asia continues to experience stellar growth. Does your company have a strategy to tap in? Modern grocery retailers in Thailand are still growing but the sign of an impending slowdown is becoming more evident through increased competition. This trend can be observed in the overall pictureMore Information

Thanks in part to NAFTA, Canada is the “Number One Market for U.S. Agricultural Exports” and represents 25% of all consumer oriented ag. exports from the US. Total U.S. export value to Canada surpassed $20 billion in 2017, making Canada the leading destination for U.S. food and agricultural exports.Here are five points from the “Canada:More Information

We’re off to Asia with beer commentator Stephen Beaumont this month. Vietnam, to be specific, with the country serving as an example of how the continent is becoming the next battleground for beer’s higher-end players. Read More »

With 55% of Latin American consumers willing to pay a premium for high-quality, safe food, there is plenty of opportunity for US Brands! Latin American consumers across all demographics are interested in spending money on premium grocery products, particularly dairy, presenting strong opportunities for industry, according to Nielsen. Read More »

For US companies looking for additional growth, Bahrain and other Middle East markets make for great opportunities. Bahrain’s retail sector has been growing steadily over the past decade and remains one of the most dynamic sectors in the Kingdom, with an annual growth rate of 13 per cent, according to a new study by KPMG.More Information

With the world’s highest mobile money usage rates and consumer spending expected to reach US$1 trillion by 2020, the African continent could be an important part of your global e-commerce strategy. Today, Africa’s population is estimated at 1.2 billion people (15% of the world’s total). By 2050, the population of 26 out of 54 countriesMore Information

Even close neighbors like the US and Canada can have big differences in consumer preferences. Canadian grocery giant Loblaw recently announced it’s closing some stores and introducing home delivery of groceries in the Toronto market, while Walmart says it’s expanding its home delivery service. While it may feel that the Canadian market is late toMore Information

In Mexico, it turns out the key to online shopping is offline payments. In a nation where just about everyone prefers to pay cash, Amazon.com Inc. and Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB are pushing a hybrid payment system to encourage more shoppers to go online. Amazon is letting people pay for goods ordered on its website at the cornerMore Information

Modern retail channels are taking off in Vietnam with the entry of newcomers and expansions by existing players. Read More »

America’s grocery scene is in the midst of a major shake-up. Last year, German discount store Lidl announced plans to expand in the US, and Amazon bought Whole Foods – both of which threatened to upend the US grocery market and send established national chains into aggressive price wars. Read More »

As consumer rejection of artificial ingredients becomes more widespread, food and beverage manufacturers are searching for efficient, inexpensive ways to clean up their labels. But making the switch is easier said than done, especially since manufacturers don’t want to compromise on the taste, appearance and mouthfeel of a brand’s original product. This challenge is compoundedMore Information

In 2017, a growing number of Western retailers decided to go where they can grow. Toys “R” Us, Starbucks and now Walgreens are among retailers expanding their brick-and-mortar and e-commerce presence in China’s booming retail market. As Western retail markets contract due to bankruptcies, store closures and acquisitions, retailers are increasingly looking beyond their domesticMore Information

Consumers in the UAE can look forward to a greater variety of foodstuffs and ingredients, as international players such as the EU increasingly look to the UAE for exporting their products, experts have said. Speaking to Khaleej Times at the Sial Middle East exhibition in an exclusive interview, Ambassador Patrizio Fondi, head of the EUMore Information

China announced tariff cuts Friday on consumer goods including avocados, mineral water and baby carriages in a new effort to spur economic growth driven by domestic consumption and reduce reliance on trade and investment. Beijing faces pressure from the United States, Europe and other trading partners for better access to its growing market. But theMore Information

The ANUGA food and beverage show in Germany this month highlighted several emerging trends in the global food and beverage industry. Some of the same trends which appeared recently in the U.S. are now beginning to flourish in Western Europe. Others have originated in Europe, Asia or the Middle East and are making their wayMore Information

By notice dated July 11, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has delayed the effective date of the International Entrepreneur Rule to March 14, 2018, and will seek comments on whether or not to rescind the rule altogether. The International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), which was issued in the waning days of the Obama PresidencyMore Information

Companies we partner with are highly aware of the fact that international markets can provide their food brands with steady growth potential. However, the challenge is, how do companies unlock that growth potential without experiencing problems that can cost a lot of time and money? Often times we see food businesses begin exporting by accident.More Information

It’s normal to have hesitations when determining whether or not to export your food products. In fact, we would be slightly worried if companies had no concerns and proceeded to make the leap of entering into a new market without meticulous planning or research. Unfortunately, the more common reality is that we see companies loseMore Information

Toosum is exhibiting at the ANUGA trade show in Cologne, Germany. ANUGA is the world’s largest food and beverage trade show and is being held from October 10th to October 14th. This event showcases products in the Food & Beverage, Bakery, Beverage & Confectionery industries. Over 7,000 exhibitors from 100 countries bring the largest tradingMore Information

The Asia-Pacific region will account for two-thirds of the world’s middle class by 2030.  Chinese will be the majority of this massive consumption.  Today China’s urban middle-class population alone, if considered as a country, is larger than the total U.S. population.  Rapid economic growth and a huge migration to urban centers is creating a middle-classMore Information

U.S. Processed Food Historical Export Growth Processed food exports set another record in 2014 with a 2% growth rate and sales exceeding $46 billion.[1] It was the 5th straight year of record growth.  Some food categories grew very rapidly, such as prepared dairy products at 232% growth.[2]  Not only the processed food industry, but alsoMore Information