In 2021, the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) partnered with state and national associations and used Market Access Program (MAP) funding to promote poultry and eggs from the United States in Colombia. Beginning with the Americas Expo show at the Grand Hyatt in Bogota, USAPEEC hosted meetings and continued marketing activities to build connections between U.S. exporters and buyers from South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean.
The third Americas Expo at the Bogota Grand Hyatt took place in November 2021. In addition to using MAP and Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funds, USAPEEC also joined with the Nebraska Soybean Board and the National Turkey Federation for the show. Seventeen U.S. poultry exporters took part in the expo, with 154 importers from 80 companies and 205 other industry participants. Over half of the exporters that participated made sales of $200,000 or more, and almost 70 percent of them connected with five or more potential buyers. Additionally, just under half of the exporters introduced new products to the market through the expo. USAPEEC contributed $50,000 to support the show, which generated $8.3 million in estimated sales, more than double the $3.7 million in sales at the 2020 Americas Expo.
Building on this success was another effort undertaken by USAPEEC in fall of 2021: an integrated marketing campaign focused on retail outlets. Another effective partnership, this time with Indiana Corn Growers Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance, used multiple channels to market U.S. processed turkey to consumers. Point-of-sale materials, digital marketing activities, and advertising through Digital Out of Home helped the campaign reach thousands of people. As a result, well-known Colombian retailers Pricesmart and Canella increased average sales per store by 339 percent and 38 percent respectively. Ground turkey, which was a new product for the market, was introduced nationwide in Canella, and the store included turkey products in 12 new point-of-sale materials as well.
Fast Facts
Colombia imported approximately $1.7 million in value-added turkey products in 2021, with total U.S. turkey exports to Colombia valued at $5.7 million for the year. From January to November 2022, U.S. turkey exports to Colombia fell by just one percent despite challenges posed by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). HPAI also caused a decrease in overall poultry and egg exports to the market in 2022, with value falling by four percent compared with the same period in 2021. This slight decrease shows hope for the resiliency of the poultry industry’s export potential in Colombia, since the U.S. supply was ravaged by HPAI in 2022.