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Reverse Trade Mission Brings Foodservice Importers, Distributors, and Retailers from Around the World to the Pacific Northwest
October 23, 2024
Earlier this month, a Reverse Trade Mission (RTM) brought 53 international foodservice importers, distributors, and retailers to the Pacific Northwest for a U.S. potato farm-to-fork journey. The RTM participants represented ten of the potato industry’s major export regions: Central America, China, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman).
With the mission to strengthen demand for potatoes, which includes increasing purchases of U.S. potatoes in international markets, the RTM was designed to showcase all that is involved in producing high-quality U.S. potatoes and potato products—from production research and growing/harvesting to storage capabilities, processing, and exporting. The five-day event fostered relationships between potential and current customers of U.S. potatoes with suppliers and other members of the U.S. potato industry, including:
A tour at Oregon State University Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Harvest, Farm, and Storage Tours
Potato Processing Plant Tours
Meeting with Washington State Potato Commission
Port of Tacoma Tour
Potatoes USA hosts RTMs annually to showcase U.S. potatoes and generate sales for all formats of high-quality U.S. potatoes.
Group picture of all RTM attendees
RTM attendees learning about how potatoes are grown at the Oregon State University Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Foodservice Importers and Distributors touring the Port of Tacoma
RTM retail and foodservice attendees viewing harvest Tri-Cities, Washington
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