Seattle Company Helps Food and Beverage Manufacturers Stir Up Sales Overseas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Seattle, WA—February 7, 2005—If you think global marketing is a luxury only large companies enjoy, you may want to think again. Peter Guyer, a marketing and food & beverage specialist with 20 years of international marketing experience, has recently launched a new company, Athena Marketing International LLC (AMI). AMI provides emerging food and beverage companies an affordable option for marketing their products overseas.
Companies such as current clients Mocafe and Dagoba Chocolate outsource their international business to AMI for a fraction of what it would cost them to employ a large corporate marketing firm or hire internal staff. AMI, in turn, identifies and recruits foreign distributors and retailers for their clients, makes presentations on their behalf, and promotes them at international trade shows.
Guyer, formerly an expatriate executive with Nestle S.A. in four countries, is passionate about his new venture. “I saw many unique food and beverage products being made by innovative, creative small companies, and I realized that some of those products can be developed into global brands.”
The principals of AMI, Guyer and new Vice President Richard Venneri, formerly with DaVinci Gourmet/Kerry Group, are in a unique position to help these emerging specialty companies. Both have lived and worked abroad, and both have vast management-level experience in the food and beverage industry, particularly in Europe and Asia. “We have the expertise and contacts without the high overhead costs. Basically, our clients get multi-national corporate experience without the big company costs,” says Guyer.
That's a recipe that pleases clients like Numi Tea. “AMI has been a wonderful partner, says Numi CEO Ahmed Rahim. “Our international business has grown significantly with their support.”
AMI's goals include working with clients over the long haul. “We're not simply transaction-based,” says Guyer. “We want to develop all of our clients into major global brands.”
For companies considering exporting, Guyer suggests that now is a good time to make the leap. “Considering the trend toward higher disposable incomes in major overseas markets, the internationalization of taste profiles, and the growing emphasis on natural and organic products, this is an opportune time for emerging specialty food and beverage companies to expand abroad.” The weak dollar helps, too. “Our products are cheap relative to European or Asian products,” says Guyer. “It's a great time to grab share-of-throat and market share.”
Athena Marketing International LLC provides international marketing and business development services to the food & beverage industry. Its objective is to help emerging U.S. food and beverage producers develop into major global brands. In addition, AMI serves as an advisor to its clients' senior management, offering advice on foreign joint ventures and alliances, strategic planning, media and promotion, distribution, and foreign packaging. AMI also has a 24-hour hotline offering clients access to advice on international food and beverage issues.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
[email protected]
Visit AMI on the web at:
To contact by phone or mail:
T: +1 206 749 9255
F: +1 206 624 8826
1411 Fourth Avenue, Suite 629
Seattle, WA 98101