10 Ways the Government Can Help you Expand Your Markets
1. Receive information from the Colorado Department of Agriculture on all sales opportunities. Register with the CDA to be included in our trade directory. This provides online access to people seeking a full range of products, and this is the database that we use to send our newsletters, trade leads and sales opportunities. www.coloradoagriculture.com
2. Sign up as a Colorado Proud company. Colorado Proud is a free marketing program designed to increase the sales of Colorado grown and processed foods in Colorado. Join over 700 companies, including growers, processors, restaurants and retailers in promoting Colorado agriculture.
3. Ask for help. The Colorado Department of Agriculture will meet with individual growers and processors as well as groups to review all marketing options and guide you to a wide range of assistance available.
4. Register with our Farm Fresh Directory program. Every year we publish a directory to connect Colorado consumers to farmers through on farm sales outlets and farmers markets. Click here for the current Colorado Farm Fresh Directory.
5. Check in with the Colorado Specialty Crops Center for assistance and possible grants to support new crop development. Frank Stonaker (970) 491-7068
6. Consider the international market. There is a global market for all products organic. To review the markets, look at the over 120 research reports on world markets that exists from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Services at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/htp/organics/attache.htm
7. Organic sales in Canada are growing 15-20% per year. The Canadian retailers have identified organic foods as a significant growth opportunity and the US supplies 80% or more of the organic products in this market with forty percent of Canadian consumers purchasing organic products more than two per year. We have new research on the Canadian organic market. This report is on the WUSATA web site at: http://www.wusata.org/services/generic/support/market_reports/. You will need to request a user ID and password to access this report. Send your request to: bob@wusata.org
8. Ask for money to develop your international markets. The USDA has a program to provide 50% reimbursement of international trade which can include: trade shows, including international travel, advertising, creating new bilingual labels, point-of-sale materials, in-store demonstrations and some domestic trade shows. http://www.wusata.org/services/branded/index.html
9. Ask CDA for money. The Markets Division has a variety of programs available.
10. Join CDA on international missions and trade shows featuring organic products. This year we will have Organic Pavilions in Canada and Germany. All information on registration will be posted as it becomes available at: http://www.susta.org/generic/organic.stm. BioFach tradeshow registration is at: http://www.concordexpogroup.com/biofach_2002.html.
|
Tom Lipetzky
Timothy J. Larsen |
Wendy White
Dawn M. Velásquez de Pérez |