Official Blog of the Southern U.S. Trade Association

Export Assistance from SUSTA Starting August 1

2011-08-01T12:19:00.001-07:00

Small businesses are constantly looking for new customers. Reaching a new market requires meeting new buyers, educating new customers, and advertising. Starting August 1, SUSTA will accept applications for the 2012 Market Access Program (MAP) Branded. The Branded program is designed to help food and agricultural companies enter export markets with 50% reimbursement for promotional costs, such as advertising, exhibiting at trade shows, and changes to packaging and labels. Download the Pre-Qualification Form from the SUSTA website today to double your international marketing budget for next year!

Eligible companies are small according to U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) standards, have yearly sales of at least $100,000, and promote a brand-name product that is at least 50% U.S. agricultural origin. MAP Branded is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and administered to southern U.S. companies by SUSTA. Companies located in any of SUSTA’s member states can apply for funding: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Shanghai chefs study American cuisine at Nicholls with SUSTA

2011-05-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture sponsored the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University chef's training program. This year 12 visiting chefs from Shanghai, China attended.

The training featured culinary demonstrations, lectures and field trips designed to expose the visiting chefs to the rich traditions of Louisianan, Southern Soul, Cajun culture, Latin American, Native American and Appalachian cuisines.

Click here to see more!

Williamsburg Winery Using SUSTA and Winning

2011-05-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

Williamsburg Winery in Virginia received three medals this week at the 2011 Decanter World Wine Awards held in London.

The London International Wine Fair is the largest wine show in the world. SUSTA assisted seven Virginia companies to exhibit in front of an audience of more than 25,000 international wine buyers, and winery representatives. There were over 12 thousand wines from 44 countries to judge. Williamsburg Winery was awarded a Silver medal for their 2008 Adagio, a Bronze medal to the 2009 Late Harvest Vidal, and a Commended Award to the 2006 Gabriel Archer Reserve.

Master Winemaker, Matthew Meyer, represented the Williamsburg Winery and thanked SUSTA and the Virginia Wine Marketing office for helping make the experience happen.

Congratulations from the entire staff at SUSTA!

SBA, Inc. Magazine and AT&T Collaborate to Promote Exporting

2011-04-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

SBA, Inc. Magazine and AT&T have come together to make a series of videos to inspire and encourage American small businesses to actively pursue exporting. The videos start with the answer to “why export"? You can watch other subjects like finding your first customer, planning for export success, how to connect with foreign buyers and case studies among others. The videos are posted at http://www.inc.com/exporting. Once a Southern U.S. company is ready to take the next step into exporting, they should know that there are programs that the Southern U.S. Trade Association (SUSTA) manages to help the process be more affordable and manageable. SUSTA helps organize a variety of trade shows, expos and missions at a reduced cost to participants. Also, for approved participants SUSTA reimburses up to 50% of certain international marketing and promotion expenses. Please go to http://www.susta.org/index.html to learn more.

SUSTA Director Featured on WWL TV

2011-02-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

In a news story broadcast by WWL TV in New Orleans, SUSTA Executive Director Jerry Hingle comments on the impact that the current unrest in Egypt may have on agricultural exports going to the region, and how this could affect U.S. exporters.

Getting Started Exporting Seminar

2011-02-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

Getting started in importing and exporting can seem like an unknown universe. For Louisiana companies, there are resources here in New Orleans that can help get your questions answered. Wednesday, February 2, the World Trade Center of New Orleans will hold a seminar designed to teach you how to find international market research, prepare products for shipping, price your product for export, and more. Jerry Hingle, SUSTA’s Executive Director, will be speaking about federally funded programs to help small agricultural businesses take their business international. For more seminar information, click here; for information on SUSTA services click here.

SUSTA Outreach Events

2011-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

SUSTA collaborates with our member states and other industry groups to offer educational seminars and company meetings to discuss how our programs can help small businesses export. The Market Access Program (MAP) Branded and Generic activities are two ways we can help make international trade more affordable and low-risk for food and agricultural companies. Now it is easier than ever to keep up with SUSTA's export seminars! Check out our listings for events near you this year: http://www.susta.org/services/outreach_events.html

NEW 2011 Events Calendar

2011-01-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

Visit http://www.susta.org/ to see the new 2011 Events Calendar. We hope that this calendar will be a useful planning tool for your company as you plan to venture into export markets in 2011. Please remember that you can visit our website at www.susta.org/events for all of the latest details on upcoming events and to register.

Home Style Foods Success Using SUSTA

2011-01-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

David Martin, president and CEO of Home Style Foods L.L.C., is a successful Atlanta-based sausage processor and distributor. When Martin felt he was ready to take the next step and get his business into exporting, he found help with SUSTA and was able to enter the Brazilian market. His company was featured in the "Tapping the Global Markets" article in the December 2010 issue of Black Enterprise magazine. Check out more company success stories on our website and see how SUSTA programs can help you get into international markets.

Thanksgiving Wishes

2010-11-23T12:24:00.000-08:00

Executive Director Jerry Hingle and all of our staff here at SUSTA would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Our office will be closed Thursday and Friday to observe the holiday and will reopen on Monday, November 29.

Oklahoma Chef Blogs from SUSTA Pavilion at SIAL Paris

2010-11-16T15:02:00.000-08:00

Chef Robert Black from Good Egg Dining Group blogged from France while demonstrating southern U.S. products in SUSTA's pavilion at SIAL 2010, The Global Food Marketplace. SUSTA's Executive Director Jerry Hingle attended the show, where 11 southern U.S. companies participated in the pavilion, showcasing over 50 products. Chef Black helped bring these products to life and attract more buyers to sample the items on display. Check out his videos and commentary here.

In 2011, SUSTA is planning to sponsor more than 80 Generic events like the pavilion at SIAL, Paris. Visit http://www.susta.org/ to find more opportunities to expand your business and bring the flavor of the south to the world.

Return to Regular Hours

2008-09-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

All SUSTA staff have returned to New Orleans, and we are back to our office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please contact us at (504) 568-5986 with any questions, or email us. Thanks to everyone for your concern and understanding while our office was closed due to Gustav.

Office Status - Reopening Friday

2008-09-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

All staff evacuated for Hurricane Gustav, and we came through the storm safely. As best as we can tell, our office was undamaged and the power has been restored. New Orleans remains under mandatory evacuation, but residents will be allowed to return in stages over the next few days. It will take a while for everyone to get home; judging from how long it took to evacuate, re-entry traffic may be considerably slower than the normal commute time. We will plan to reopen the SUSTA office on Friday. Meanwhile, we are doing our very best to keep our workflow as close to normal as possible. We appreciate your patience with any delays that may come up. Keep in mind that you can reach us by email, and most of us can also be reached by phone on our BlackBerrys. Our many thanks for your concern and patience.

Preparing for Gustav

2008-08-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

Tropical Storm Gustav is expected to strengthen and make landfall in or near Louisiana on Tuesday, September 2. At this time it is uncertain whether Gustav will threaten the New Orleans area, but city and state agencies are advising local residents and businesses to begin preparing for an evacuation. Therefore, the SUSTA office will be closed on Tuesday, September 2.

SUSTA is taking every step necessary to ensure that staff members remain safe and operations continue to run as smoothly as possible. Backup procedures are in place and will be put into effect should there be an extended evacuation. Check http://susta.blogspot.com/ for updates on office hours, contact information, and other news.

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

SUSTA Welcomes New Executive Director

2006-07-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

This July, the Southern U.S. Trade Association welcomes new Executive Director Jerry Hingle to its staff.

Jerry is a native of New Orleans and comes to SUSTA with extensive experience in international marketing and agriculture. Prior to joining SUSTA, Jerry spent 10 years with the Southern Forest Products Association, a trade association representing the U.S. lumber industry. He directed the association’s $1 million international marketing and trade policy program in 22 countries. He also served as an appointee to the U.S. Commerce Department’s Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Forest Products, where he advised U.S. government trade policy negotiators on issues affecting the industry.

Jerry also worked previously with the American Forest & Paper Association in Washington, D.C., managing international marketing and research programs for wood products in Taiwan, Korea, China, Mexico, and the European Union. Before joining AF&PA, Jerry conducted market potential studies for U.S. agricultural products in Europe as account manager of public relations and research for A&MV Public Relations International in Brussels, Belgium.

Jerry obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Loyola University, with a major in marketing. He also holds an MBA from the European University in Brussels, Belgium, specializing in international management.

MAP Branded Year Changed

2006-06-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has informed SUSTA that the MAP Branded program year 2006-2007 will begin on January 1, 2007 and conclude December 31, 2007. Eligible suppliers may apply now to request funding for that time frame. Applications may be downloaded at www.susta.org/services/map_application.html.

The current program year, which was set to end on September 30, 2006, will be extended through the end of 2006. Additional funding will be available for new and returning Branded participants wishing to request funds for activities conducted between October 1, 2006 and December 31, 2006. Current Branded program participants should contact SUSTA's Branded Department to submit an amendment to their 2005-2006 application. New applicants should complete the 2005-2006 application online by signing in to www.susta.org and choosing "Branded Links" from the main menu.

If you have any questions, please contact SUSTA at (504) 568-5986.

Double Your Marketing Budget with MAP Branded

2006-06-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

Beginning June 1, 2006, U.S. suppliers of food and agricultural products can apply to participate in the 2006-2007 Market Access Program (MAP) Branded and receive up to 50% reimbursement for their international marketing expenses. Due to ongoing upgrades to SUSTA’s online system, this year applicants will complete a paper application to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible.

Starting June 1, new applicants may download a copy of the application from www.susta.org/services/map.html. Returning applicants from the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 program years will receive a copy of this year’s application, as well as a copy of their application from last year, via email. If you have questions about this year’s application process, please contact SUSTA at (504) 568-5986.

Export Events

2005-09-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Exporters can participate in events worldwide with the help of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Visit www.fas.usda.gov/scripts/agexport/EventQuery.asp for details.