FIFI Foodservice Promotion Begins - Delhi

The theme is "Delhi Delights" and includes dozens of restaurants around the Delhi Capital area.   USHBC participates with the USDA and FIFI--the Forum of Indian Food Importers.

Check out the action at Smokey's BBQ pit in Central Delhi!

Yes -- a BBQ restaurant in a country where almost are vegetarians!

This outlet is in the center of the Nation's Capital.  

Here is the signage and sponsor list.

Blueberry cheesecake!   Wow look at the servings!

Raj Kapoor enjoys his veggie dish with other participants at the promotion kick-off.

 

American Frozen Food Institute - Newsletter Ad

Frozen food executives are continually reminded of the availability of the Real Blueberries Seal!

"Hurricane Hana" Hits Ho Chi Minh City!

She may be small but mighty!  Our Hana Huynh in Vietnam is on the move promoting highbush blueberries to the Southeast Asian food industry.   Having a local person in the region is a great asset for the USHBC--especially one with a food science and food industry background.

She is off and running and literally running on her speedy motorbike which is an essential travel mode in the traffic of Vietnam.

>Vietnam has a well developed and rising local food manufacturing industry including foreign ventures from Europe and especially Korea.  The hard working and well educated workforce makes it a great business site!
>Vietnamese love imported goods, especially Korean and US.  Many Vietnamese have relatives living in the states and studies have indicated that USA is a very positive label for a food product.
>The Vietnamese associate berries such as their native mulberry and now blueberries with beauty and skin care.   Stores are full of Korean made natural cosmetics -- many with blueberries.

Hana met with dozens of companies at Viet Food! 

>Some of the recently launched blueberry-containing dairy products feature "beauty positioning" and even names like Pro Beauty.

Hana is researching the market, connecting with food processors.   She has already attended the Viet Food Pac Expo to meet with companies and will visit similar shows in Thailand and other adjoining countries in the upcoming weeks.







Here are some photos from the recent Pro Pack Vietnam.

Food Ingredients South America (FISA)

We are on to something here!   For year two USHBC has exhibited at the Food Ingredients South America exposition in Sao Paulo, Brazil.    We met food companies big and small - even those from blueberry-producing companies who are looking for USA blueberries!   The key:  Ingredient solutions.   That is -- blueberry products that have been converted into formats that are ready to use in food products.  This includes dried blueberries, juices, puree and concentrates.    Of course companies are also looking for frozen blueberries which is the specialty of North American producers!
>The region is juice crazy and blueberry is a most desirable flavor
>Dried blueberries are desired in snacking.
>Jam, jelly, preserve and bakery filling manufacturers look for steady supplies of frozen blueberries with soft skins and lots of juice.
>Blueberry powders and flakes are in demand from the many companies in the region who make supplements for body builders, beauty regimes and other uses.  

We are Real Blueberries.

We offer Real Blueberries and Real Blueberry Ingredient Solutions!

China Bakery Contest in Full Swing!

The world is flat!  USHBC is conducting a bakery contest all over China using social media!   After just one day of the one-month contest -- we are receiving some amazing recipes!
They use frozen, dried and others that can be sourced online anywhere in the country of 1.3 billion population and land mass about the same size as USA!
Will keep you posted!

Blueberry Roadshow - Kaohsiung (South Taiwan)

Taiwan is a long time market and friend of US Highbush Blueberries.  It was our first market outside of Japan and always strong and loyal to the fresh and processed blueberries!  Now we are spreading the word in the South part of the Island!

Taiwan, (Technically called the Republic of China)  is an island about the size of Northern California.  Population is around 20 million and still one of the strongest economies -- 22nd in the world! Note on the second map that it also includes a number of small islands including some in sight of mainland China.

Taipei is the main city or the "New York" of Taiwan.  The Southern City of Kaohsiung would be the Chicago with 2.8 million population -- the major port of Taiwan and a booming economy and business spirit!  

This month September 6, 2017 -- USHBC participates in a USDA Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) Bakery Seminar Roadshow.   Two celebrity chefs will demonstrate blueberries in bakery items at a series of seminars at the Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism.  Already 80 bakery chefs have signed up.   A media tasting will be held at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) office in Kaohsiung!

China Seminars and Road Show

USHBC is in the field and on the road in China with a series of seminars for the food industry in three regions of China:

Schedule:  Shenzhen - September 12, 2017  Chengdu - September 15, 2017  Shenyang - September 18, 2017

Attendees: Food Industry, restaurants, hotels, importers, distributors, nutrition influencers.

Global Based Initiative: Funding from the USDA-FAS and run n conjunction with the Cranberry Marketing Committee, National Pecan Board.

• Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.  This is the "small" border city next to Hong Kong which became a major business hub after Hong Kong sovereignty was returned to  the People's Republic of China in 1997.  (The population has boomed to 12 million population).   This is the area which has drawn a huge number of foreign investments and overseas Chinese companies.   Of particular interest -- this is also the area where much of the dried fruit and snacking industry is located which is a major target for USHBC-FoodTech concerning dried blueberries.
• Chengdu, Sichuan Province.  This is the business center of Western China which is one of the fastest growing business regions of the country.   (14.4 million population) Chengdu is known as a place where China and the Silk Road meet and dried fruits and nuts are part of their cuisine.   Our emphasis will be in frozen blueberries for bakeries and dried for the snacking trade.
• Shenyang, Liaoning Province.  This is the business center of north China and part of the area sometimes known as Manchuria.  (Population: 8.11 million).  Shenyang is an industrial center and also includes a food industries including baking, dairy and confectionery.  The region is home to a substantial number of Korean and Japanese companies as well as successful Chinese enterprises.   Frozen and dried are the emphasis.

School Nutrition Association (SNA) 2017 Developments!

Check out this recon from the School Nutrition Association  (SNA) meeting recently held in Denver, Colorado. 

• Step 1 was working with the approved school foodservice processors who we interact with at the American Commodity Distribution Association (ACDA).  There they learn from USDA which commodities are in the USDA Foods program for the year.  
• Step 2. The processors work with the big school districts who receive the USDA foods by the truckload(s).   They look at flour, eggs, and specialty ingredients like blueberries!  Products are developed with often with assistance from USHBC-FoodTech.  That includes muffins, bars, and cups.  
• Step 3.  The commodity processor comes to the School Nutrition Association to present the new lines available.

It is a win-win situation.  Schools receive quality foods using the USDA ingredients -- which means low cost of the item.  The processor makes the product and sells minus the cost of the USDA-Foods ingredients.    When we first started working on commodity processing for schools, there were few if any products using blueberries in the system.  Processors and schools were unaware.

Now, check out this video!