The state has rolled out a new program to encourage small food companies to sell more of their goods in foreign countries.
Minnesota's Department of Agriculture is systematically buying booths at trade shows in South Korea, Vietnam, China and Dubai, and then renting the space at up to a 50 percent discount to Minnesota firms that make food ingredients or agricultural products and want to find new markets.
"We're buying space at trade shows … where we think Minnesota companies will have an interest, and we're having Minnesota pavilions at those shows," said Brian Erickson, an ag marketing specialist who helps companies get signed up.
An initiative called the "Branded" program offers reimbursements to companies for the cost of going to a trade show in a new market, and helps with labels and translations.
The Agriculture Department has booked space at six trade shows through the end of May, two in the United States and four overseas. Companies can get up to a 50 percent discount on booth space, and so far demand has been healthy.
The Dubai and China shows are sold out, but the Vietnam and South Korea shows still have space.
Minnesota is not the only government agency renting space at these shows. Cyprus, Germany, Ethiopia and Holland are among the governments sending contingents to the Gulfood Exhibition in Dubai at the end of this month.
Some 156 companies and trade groups from the United States are registered as exhibitors, plus 257 from India, 209 from Germany and 187 from China.
