MISSION, Texas — This February, the Texas produce industry headed east … to the Middle East! Alongside more than a dozen producers representing seven organizations and five industry sectors, Cory Oliver of Wonderful Citrus represented the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) by traveling to Dubai to participate in the Gulfood trade show, the Texas Day activities at Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as a USDA trade mission gathering.
With more than 4,000 companies from 120 countries present – in addition to tens of thousands of buyer attendees – Gulfood is the largest food and beverage trade show in the world. TIPA was able to attend by joining a trade mission organized by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), to discover potential new sales opportunities in international markets.
In addition to participating in the expo through the Texas stand in the USA Pavilion of the World Food Hall, Cory also participated in “Texas Day” on February 17 at Expo 2020 Dubai, the new iteration of the World’s Fair. Geared toward educating buyers, importers, and consumers about Texas agriculture, Cory spoke before an international audience about Texas-grown fruits and vegetables, especially the Texas Rio Star Red Grapefruit in the USA Pavilion’s Rocket Garden, under the boosters of a scale model SpaceX rocket! (Fun fact: SpaceX is a GO TEXAN partner!)
“It was the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to represent the industry and TIPA at the Gulfood expo,” remarked Cory. “The interest in Texas-grown produce was incredible. It was a constant flow of international buyers asking questions about the season, availability, and offerings. It feels very humbling to be able to introduce Texas fruits and vegetables, especially grapefruit, to the international community, and I can absolutely see why we need to be present in more of these events to capture these opportunities.”
This activity was funded through TDA’s USDA Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) allocation through the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA). The ATP program provides support for agricultural commodities to develop and participate in global trade activities. These efforts include promoting Texas produce and citrus to trade partners around the world and strengthening our exports to our neighbors to the north and south.
“I was asked a lot about why I would participate in Gulfood, and I read a great quote from the President of Dubai that I feel perfectly reflected my mission at the expo,” stated Cory. “’Man’s development depends on the power of his ideas and his ability to spread them from one person to another across deserts, continents and oceans.’ (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum) If want to take our products to the international consumers, we have to be able to represent those products and that means being present at events like Gulfood.”
Next up for international marketing, TIPA will be joining TDA again in the Texas pavilion at the Fruit Logistica event in Berlin, Germany in early April. Find out more about TIPA’s international promotional efforts at www.texipa.org, or make plans to attend the Viva Fresh Produce Expo (www.vivafreshexpo.com) on April 21-23, 2022 in Dallas, TX.
About the Texas International Produce Association
The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, advocating, promoting, and representing the over $10 billion of fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown in Texas or consider Texas their first point of arrival for domestic distribution. TIPA was created in 1942 by a group of industry leaders who shared a vision to expand the region’s produce industry. Today, TIPA represents over 320 member companies throughout the fresh produce supply chain. Membership ranks include growers, shippers, grocery stores, foodservice distributors, importers and a host of allied industries.
–Texas International Produce Association
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