How Small Businesses in Tennessee Are Reaching a Global Market
In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture
The saying goes, “Think globally, act locally,” but for small businesses, acting globally can be a game changer. Tennessee boasts more than 45 small food and agricultural companies vying to sell to foreign markets with support from the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA). “Ninety-five percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States,” says Danielle Viguerie, marketing and communications director for SUSTA. “If a company is really interested in growing and having aggressive growth, it would be a mistake not to explore international markets. Goods move and ship all over the world. Small businesses are doing it and having success.”
Since 1973, the federally funded regional trade association has helped small- to medium-size food and agricultural companies in 14 Southern states and Puerto Rico sell their products internationally. Businesses vary from family farms to food manufacturers to export managers who have goods with global appeal. SUSTA offers cost-share assistance, communicates trade leads and facilitates a presence at international trade shows to help small companies enter foreign markets. In fact, SUSTA can reimburse up to 50% of global promotion costs, such as foreign advertising campaigns, redesigned packaging and travel to trade shows.
“The only way that we are able to implement these programs and be really effective over such a wide region is that we work closely with the departments of agriculture in each of the Southern states,” Viguerie says.
See more: Export Opportunities Help Tennessee Companies With Global Reach
With just a 14-member staff, SUSTA partners with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) and neighboring agriculture departments to deliver its programs. Even when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, SUSTA and its partners maintained momentum and adjusted to virtual trade show formats.
During 2020, more than 30 small Tennessee companies participated in over a dozen trade events in key foreign markets like Canada, China, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East and India. In the instances when meeting in person was not possible, these companies pre-shipped their goods to potential foreign buyers, allowing them to touch, feel and sometimes taste their products during the video conferences.
Pandemic-permitting, SUSTA plans to market Tennessee and other Southern U.S. products at a full schedule of shows throughout 2021. Even if events again pivot to virtual, the organization and its partners like TDA intend to make progress in delivering a bigger audience to smaller businesses.
“I think people assume that it’s only Coke, Nestlé and the major companies that are exporting,” Viguerie says. “Really, there are a lot of small businesses with international success.”