U.S. red meat is gaining traction in Cuba after many years of having a minimal presence in the market.
A recent educational seminar held by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) in Miami brought together U.S. suppliers, exporters and prospective buyers to learn more about the procedures for conducting business in Cuba.
“There’s excitement about the market,” says USMEF Caribbean Representative Elizabeth Wunderlich. “Our members jumped at the chance for meeting all of the these buyers. We brought in an expert who has been working with exporting, but also with our government, to understand how to muddle through all the regulations. And he did a super job of explaining the steps that you have to go through to make this happen.”
Paul Johnson, of FocusCuba, provides consulting services to assist U.S. companies interested in the Cuban market. He says buyers have a strong interest in U.S. pork.
“Sales of pork are up about 400% compared to the same time last year,” Johnson says.
While he recognizes that is a relatively small number, he expects it to increase.
“Pork production in Cuba is down about 90%, and this new private sector in Cuba has the resources to fill in those needs for the Cuban consumers and for tourism,” Johnson explains. “I think it’s going to take time, but what I’m excited about is that there are buyers who have the resources. We no longer have to sell to just one company in Cuba now; we can sell to thousands.”
Alicia Rodriguez, who directs new business development for Florida-based distributor American Foods International, found the USMEF seminar to be a great opportunity.
“This has been phenomenal for us,” she says. “Finding people from Cuba — we’re always waiting for them to come to us. This has been the first time that we’ve been able to have that many people in one setting in order to talk face-to-face, one-on-one, about what they’re really looking for and how we can partner with them to do additional business and sell American goods abroad.”
In terms of actual product, U.S. pork exports to Cuba through September totaled 5,843 metric tons (mt), up 322% from the same period last year, valued at $17.2 million (up 236%). On the beef side, Cuba currently takes mostly canned product, but shipments are up sharply. January-September exports increased more than 1,500% from a year ago, reaching 3,234 mt, valued at $5.4 million (up 519%), according to the USMEF report.
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