Brooklyn's Progress
December 2006/January 2007

BY GENIA GOULD

Brooklyn Goes Global (BGG), the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s initiative to promote Brooklyn food manufacturers, packed up a few good businesses and helped them put their goods on display at Kosherfest 2006  BGG has participated in the show since 2001, but this year's show was a little different.  The trade show gained synergy when two other ethnic food marketing events, Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food, were held alongside the popular annual showcase of Jewish foods.

Diversified Business Communications (DBC), the company that runs the Cultural Food New York events, believed spotlighting the three ethnic markets simultaneously made good business sense. Their statistics show the three groups comprise the fastest growing sectors in the American food market.

"We have been tracking the sales of these sectors over the last five years and there has been a consistent 8% to 10% increase year over year," said DBC's show director Brian Randall.  "Just by going into any food market, you can see the expansion of these food designated areas," he added.

Thousands of attendees visited the three shows, which included a total of 550 booths featuring foods, beverages and equipment, and thousands of new products from more than 20 countries. 
 
Mr. Randall indicated many of the products presented at the shows will appear on restaurant menus and store shelves as soon as within the next month. Among them is the Kosherfest 2006 new product "Best of Show" winner Gone Chunky™, an all natural, pre-shaped frozen cookie dough that also was their "Best New Snack Food" winner.  Other categories judged included "Best New Wine, Beer or Spirit" and "Best New Meat, Seafood or Poultry.

This year, BGG sponsored six companies, four at Kosherfest, including 4C Foods Corp. and King of the Sea; and two at Expo Comida Latina: Jakada Juice and Erica's Rugelach and Baking Company.  The collocation of the trade shows inspired Erica Lynn Kalick of Erica's Rugelach and Baking Company to create a macaroon cookie she calls "Gigante Coco," which she hopes will help expand her business into the Hispanic market.
 
New Brooklyn Chamber Member Karenga Arifu who owns Jakada Juice began supplying his gourmet lemonades and other natural juices to events and street fairs this year. He decided to exhibit in Comida Latina.

“It exposed me to potential suppliers and clients,” Mr. Arifu said.  Being at the show, he said, also helped him understand how to create new products for the kosher market.  "I had conversations with other vendors about how to make it kosher.  I can't do it now because of the cost, but eventually.  I was able to get valuable feedback and information I need to grow my business.”
 
Mr. Arifu also received feedback regarding his juices from culinary students “with distinguishing tongues” who attended the show. Through networking at the event he was able to meet a manufacturer of a new natural sugar alternative that he believes will be appropriate for his low-calorie juices.
 
“There were many successful business connections made,” said Steve Kaplansky, BGG Director.  “Some of our Brooklyn companies were even taking orders at the event.  This was an unusual and important event.  While companies came into contact with their traditional markets, the cross cultural networking significantly opened up the potential of whole new markets for them.”
 
“An important part of helping our companies promote their products is to bring them to trade shows like this," added Mr. Kaplansky.  They can find out who their competition is, meet buyers who are coming from all over the country and the world, see new products and meet distributors and vendors who can help them learn how to better market their products and grow their business.” 

BGG Gears Up for 1st Trade Show of its Own
The next Brooklyn Goes Global-sponsored event is the International Trade Show at Touro College, Coney Island, Brooklyn campus on May 21.  The show will coincide with national World Trade Week, recognized across the country, including events throughout New York City, for the purpose of examining through symposia, educational programs and speakers, the direct and indirect benefits of international trade for local economies.

"With many different countries now coming to America to do trade and competing with our domestic markets, we are looking outward to foreign markets that are interested in what is made here in Brooklyn. This is our first step in developing Brooklyn as a player in the international export scene," said Mr. Kaplansky, who earlier this year facilitated an MOU between the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and the Tanzanian Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.
 
To learn more about Brooklyn Goes Global, contact Steve Kaplansky, Director, at 718 875-1000 ext.104, or at skaplansky@brooklynchamber.com. To find out about the the Brooklyn Chamber Member companies mentioned in this article, please visit our Member Directory at http://www.ibrooklyn.com/.