The Land of 10,000 Lakes, Cornhuskers, and the Movie Fargo : Why You - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Let us handle the introductions Laissez-nous faire les présentations

The Land of 10,000 Lakes, Cornhuskers, and the Movie Fargo:

Why You Shouldn’t Fly Over the US-Upper Midwest

(especially if you sell food)

Christina Connelly Trade Commissioner, Agri-Food Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis Feb 2020

MNPLS

Minnesota: Early Economy

• Historically: natural resources and agriculture

– Fur trading, mining, timber, crops

• “The Mill City”

– Washburn and Pillsbury families – Origins of the food processing industry in Minnesota

• Farming – large producers and small family farms

– #1 producer of sugar beets and turkeys – #2 in sweet corn, hogs, oats, wild rice – #3 in soybeans, spring wheat, processed green peas

• Value-added processing – ingredients and final goods

Agriculture → Food Processing

US-UMW Food Processing Industry Today

Food Retailing & Distribution

Retail

• Grab-and-go/convenience/snacking
• Local (known) sourcing
• Non-GMO, Organic, Natural
• Gluten-free
• Choices (not just among products, but

stores too)

• “New” super foods
• Low sugar
• Innovation

These times, they are a changin’ …

Foodservice

• Local over “fancy”
• Neighborhood over popular
• Delivery and take-out – not just pizza

anymore!

• In-home dining
• On-site brewing/distilling
• Global flavors specific to the region
• The Experience

• Malt-O-Meal = MOM Brands = POST

Consumer Brands

• General Mills – Green Giant (B&G)
• ConAgra (Omaha) + Ralcorp –

Ralcorp → Chicago

• General Mills + Blue Buffalo
• SunOpta + Niagara Naturals

(Canadian!)

• Cargill + EWOS + Konspol + Diamond

V + Smet

• Cargill – pork
• Agropur (Canadian!) + Davisco
• UNFI (RI) + Supervalu (Mpls)
• Fortune Fish & Gourmet (Chicago) +

Coastal Seafoods (Mpls) + Classic Provisions (Mpls)

Change = the new normal!

M&As, Movement, Rebranding, etc.

Becoming a well-known foodie destination

From…. To….

• National broadline distributors:

– US Foods – Sysco – Reinhart, etc.

• Regional and local broadline distributors:

– Apperts – Henry’s – Mason Brothers – McLane – Upper Lakes Foods

• Local specialty distributors:

– Many serve both grocery and foodservice – Better option for specialty/niche product

• Institutional and catering:

– Taher, Sodexho, Aramark – May request suppliers use specific local, regional or broadline distributor depending on product type.

Foodservice Distribution

Twin Cities = food entrepreneur hub

Accelerators & Investors

Ag/food gaining traction…

• Ideal entry-point – bigger than you think, but small enough to be

manageable

• Ease of logistics – centrally-located, on the border
• Foodie mentality growing – opportunity not saturated
• Common culture and values, familiar – Canada beloved by many
• Resources – strong knowledge-base, government support,

academic institutions, collaborative community, growing innovation and start-up hub

• “The Good Life” – culture, wellness, work/life balance, economic

stability, environment, etc…

Why Canadians food manufacturers choose Minnesota

• Minnesota

– Food retailing – Food processing & co-packing – Meat processing – Foodservice – FoodTech + AgTech

• Iowa

– Convenience – Food processing/ingredients – AgTech (Des Moines)

• Nebraska

– Animal agriculture – Meat processing

Where are my best bets?

In Christina’s humble opinion….

• South Dakota

– Ingredients – Dairy – Innovation partnerships

• North Dakota

– Ingredients – AgTech (Fargo)

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service Le Service des délégués commerciaux du Canada

For more information contact us at Pour plus d’informations contactez-nous à

Christina Connelly christina.Connelly@international.gc.ca 612-492-2915