International Trade Becomes Reality for Area Business

For Immediate Release
April 20, 2001

Greensboro, NC: The International Trade Center on the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University recently helped lay the groundwork for a North Carolina company to become involved in international trade.

With the help of the International Trade Center, Midstate Mills, Inc., a Newton, NC-based manufacturer of flour, corn meal, mixes and feed, attended a trade show, where they established leads that have developed into lucrative contracts.

At the American Food and Beverage Trade Show in Miami, Midstate Mills and International Trade Center representatives established contact with companies trading internationally, such as Sweet Distribution, LLC, a Florida trade company which recently ordered 43,200 pounds of corn meal and 43,200 pounds of flour from Midstate Mills.

"We hadn't really done much in international trade prior to the show in Miami," said Berry Caldwell, grocery products sales manager for Midstate Mills. "However, in light of this recent success, I believe that international trade will become a larger part of our business strategy."

Pantego Plantation Gourmet Foods, a female-owned business in Pantego, NC, also recently developed international sales leads with assistance from the North Carolina A&T State University International Trade Center. At the Canadian Food and Beverage Show in Toronto, Pantego Plantation Gourmet Foods representatives shared a booth with the International Trade Center, where they met with potential customers and distributors for their products.

The International Trade Center helps small-scale businesses establish international trade, with primary focus on helping minority-owned and agriculturally based businesses.

"Finding new opportunities is especially important for the smaller businesses which have trouble competing against bigger businesses with more resources," said Dr. William Amponsah, director of the Center. "Sometimes all a business needs is for someone to link them to the right resources. That's what we try to do in the International Trade Center."

After an initial screening to determine a business's readiness for export marketing, the Center helps it establish trade leads, and then assists with shipping, currency exchange, documentation, and other aspects unique to doing business outside the United States.

With its library of trade publications and language training software, the Center is also available to those wanting to learn about the customs and business culture of other countries.

The Center serves not only small businesses, but A&T students as well, through international study exchange programs and other efforts in such countries as Ghana and China.

"There's no doubt that the global market is expanding," said Amponsah. "As it expands, possibilities grow and diversity becomes more important. We hope that the International Trade Center can be a gateway to this diversity and the opportunities it presents."

The International Trade Center is funded through grants from USDA's Agricultural Research Program, National Research Initiative Competitive Grant Program, Foreign Agricultural Service, the Rural Business Cooperative Service and the Presidential Enterprise Commission, the 1890 Institution Teaching and Research Capacity Building Grants Program, and Economic Research Service, and the Southern Food Systems Education Consortium (SOFSEC).

The Center is available to all North Carolina businesses. For an appointment, please call (336) 334-7448.

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