Wisconsin is wrapping up its moment in the spotlight as we come off World Dairy Expo. But the relationships are meant to last well beyond the event. In addition to being the meeting place for the global dairy industry, Expo was also a chance for U.S. companies to connect with international buyers.
With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food Export Council helps small and medium-sized U.S. companies tap into international markets through its buyer missions. The event brings together American businesses and global buyers in one-on-one meetings designed to spark export sales.
“Our mission is to help small to medium-sized companies start or increase international sales,” says Daniel Griffith, liaison at the Midwest office. “We try to force some action to happen by bringing international buyers and U.S. companies together in one room. Hopefully, the U.S. company makes an export sale.”
The event operates like a business matchmaking session. For a $175 early-bird registration fee, U.S. companies receive a booth and the opportunity for 25-minute meetings with pre-vetted international buyers. Food Export’s in-market representatives, based in over 22 countries, nominate buyers seeking U.S. ingredients for the feed industry, extending beyond just dairy.
This year’s participants range from small trading companies in Minnesota to larger feed industry suppliers. More than half a dozen buyers traveled from countries including Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, and Indonesia.
“The beauty of our buyer’s mission is that the buyers that we bring don’t necessarily have to be specific in the dairy industry,” Griffith says. “So it can be a wider industry that requires feed ingredients, value-added feed ingredients.”
He invites businesses to the 2026 buyers’ mission. Learn more: https://www.foodexport.org/events/
