Prodeca strengthens its promotion strategy in the United States

In the current international context marked by changes in US trade policy,, Prodeca has launched a set of actions to strengthen the international reach of Catalan wines and food in the North American market.

This action plan, presented on 15 April to the country's main agri-food associations and organisations, combines direct promotion initiatives, specialist training and internationalisation support, to help companies adapt to the new tariff scenarios and take advantage of the opportunities the US market offers.

Training to manage the impact of tariffs

One of the first lines of action is the launch of a business training series with four specialist webinars giving Catalan companies concrete tools for the new tariff scenario. The seminars cover areas such as contractual protection, logistics, North American consumer behaviour and market diagnosis:

• 25 April: How to protect commercial contracts against geopolitical crises
• 29 April: The impact of US trade policy on logistics management and Incoterms
• 7 May: Understanding the importer's perspective
• 28 May: Understanding the North American buyer's perspective

Culinary promotion in the USA: from young talent to the trade channel

In parallel, Prodeca has launched the Som Catalan Food programme, an initiative connecting the values of Catalan cuisine with emerging US talent under the Catalonia, World Region of Gastronomy distinction. During April and May there will be training sessions and tastings at cookery schools across the country, with the aim of turning future chefs into advocates for Catalan products.

The masterclasses combine informative talks and practical workshops led by renowned Catalan cooks and sommeliers. Sessions have already been held at:

• Greenville Technical College – Culinary Institute of the Carolinas (Greenville)
• Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management – Florida International University (Miami)
• Bunker Hill Community College (Boston)

The next sessions will be held at St. Augustine College (Chicago) and university centres in Texas and California.

Catalan Food Show Miami: a key date with importers and opinion leaders

The campaign's high point will be the Catalan Food Show Miami, held on 17 September in Miami's Design District. This business event aims to help importers of Catalan food and wine expand their market share in the United States. Attendees will include distributors, restaurateurs, sommeliers, specialist shops, press and influencers, giving visibility to the Catalan agri-food offering and boosting its positioning as a benchmark for quality, creativity and innovation.

The event will include guided tastings, pa amb tomàquet workshops, wine masterclasses and showcookings led by Catalan professionals.

Catalan DO wines in focus at the European TTD.EU project

Under the European Taste The Difference (TTD.EU) programme, focused on promoting the distinctiveness of Catalan designation-of-origin sparkling wines and wines, Prodeca is coordinating the participation of Catalan wineries in two major US trade events:

• USA Trade Tasting
• Grand Tasting NY

Both will host presentations for the specialist press and professionals from distribution, restaurants, catering and gourmet shops.

B2B meetings with American buyers in Barcelona

On 4 and 5 June Barcelona will host the 2nd Catalan Food Business Forum, organised by Prodeca, which will bring together Catalan companies with buyers from strategic markets, including the United States. The previous edition generated more than 3,500 B2B meetings, opening new business and export avenues, and this year's edition expects several US importers and buyers from the wine, meat and Fine Food sectors.

The United States, a strategic market for the Catalan agri-food sector

The United States, the world's largest importer of food and drink with an annual value of almost €22,900M, is a key market for Catalan agri-food products, accounting for 3.6% of the sector's total exports with a value of €558.16M.

It is currently the 7th destination market and the 3rd outside the EU, and over the past 10 years sales of Catalan products in the US have soared 150% in value. It is especially important for categories such as wine (1st destination market), olive oil (2nd) and Fine Food (6th). The meat and processed meat sector is also affected (18th destination market).

Catalonia has 1,175 companies export food and drink to the United States, 432 of them regularly (those with four or more consecutive years of exporting). Over the past five years they have grown at 3.3% a year.