Africa Pavilion to Feature 25 Firms at 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show
With support from the South African Consulate-General (SACG), 25 specialty food producers from seven Southern African countries are set to participate in the June 23-25 Summer Fancy Food (SFF) show in New York City, where they will represent the continent as part of a dedicated Africa Fine Foods Pavilion. Co-sponsored by the Cape Town-based tourism, trade, and investment promotion agency Wesgro as well as Durban-based Trade and Investment Kwa-Zulu Natal (TIKZN), the pavilion was designed with support from the USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub.
“The Africa Fine Foods Pavilion will showcase the very best of our region’s unique food products — from organic moringa cakes to baobab chutney to rooibos tea, to health carrot juice, extra virgin olive oil, to grass-fed beef,” said Gavin du Preez, Acting Consul General at the SACG New York. “We are thrilled to expose more consumers in America and beyond to the flavors and health benefits of our traditional ingredients.”
The pavilion will also feature more familiar products like jams and juices. At 2017’s Summer Fancy Foods show, South African carrot grower and processor Rugani Juice landed a contract to export four 40-foot containers of kosher-certified juice to the United States. Rugani will again be showcasing its signature 100% natural juice in partnership with its new U.S.-based buyer, Kayco, a leading distributor of kosher foods in the country.
Ahead of next week’s show, the SACG - along with the USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub - briefed participating African firms on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act and the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, including requirements for labelling and customs brokerage. The briefings aimed to prepare participating exhibitors for discussions with potential buyers, make it easier to move quickly with new orders.
Linking African producers with markets in the United States and beyond is a key objective of governments throughout the region, which see the export deals as key to stimulating economic growth and creating jobs. South Africa has been at the forefront of this effort, serving as a gateway market for new buyers and investors who might otherwise be unfamiliar with the continent.
Among this year’s exhibitors, several have broader social missions, including sourcing their ingredients from smallholder farmers and empowering women. Ten of the companies, slated to be on hand in New York, are women-owned.
For more information on the Africa Fine Foods Pavilion, please contact Maria (Bing) Alo-Villareal, Export Marketing Manager at SACG at +1 212 692 2455 or Alo-VillarealB@dirco.gov.za.
Thursday, 27-Jun-2019 10:53 AM
