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Macedonian Famous Products Exhibited at the Chicago
Global Food & Style Expo
 Thanks
to USAID’s AgBiz Program and the Ministry for
Agriculture Forestry and Water Resources (MAFWE)
five leading Macedonian companies including Altra –
Gevgelija, Univerzal Promet – Kocani, Bonum –
Skopje, Trgoprodukt - Strumica, Lars – Stip and
Intermak – Veles, exhibited at the 2008 Chicago
Global Food & Style Expo and participated in a study
tour after the fair that involved visiting US
vegetable processing equipment dealers in the
Chicago area.
The 2008 Global Food & Style Expo, held April 27-29
at Chicago’s McCormick Place, was a resounding
success with more than 12,000 attendees, especially
domestic and international buyers, visiting over 800
exhibitors representing more than 56,000 of the
world’s most innovative and trend-setting food and
lifestyle products.
The 2008 Global Food & Style Expo included three
distinct events: the National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture’s (NASDA) U.S. Food
Export Showcase, the Organic Trade Association’s All
Things Organic™ Conference & Trade Show and the
National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT)
Spring Fancy Food Show. Attendees, US large and
small retail and food service buyers as well as
buyers from around the world, appreciated the
diversity and innovation of the Expo’s offerings.
During the study tour, Macedonian participants were
taken to numerous retail shops that carry
traditional eastern European and Macedonian
products. They also visited a cross-section of
retail shops for a good understanding of the range,
diversity and differentiation of food retailers so
Macedonian products could be modified, if necessary,
to appeal to different markets beyond expatriate
countrymen. Attendees prepared for and exhibited at
the Expo, a trade event that capitalized on the
rising demand for organic foods and ingredients.
Also during the study tour, attendees visited four
leading used and new equipment dealers to
investigate the possibility of acquiring modern
vegetable processing equipment.
AgBiz assisted Macedonian companies to exhibit at
the Expo and to present their various products
including roasted peppers, ajvar, lutenica, mixed
processed vegetables, stuffed peppers, wild
mushrooms and dried vegetables. Also, taste tasting
(ajvar and lutenica in particular) was organized
during the fair days for visitors to sample these
products, unique for American mainstream consumers.
Using a variety of savory snacks and breads, the
exhibitors served both spicy and mild ajvar to
attendees. In fact, the visitors were extremely
impressed with the roasted pepper flavor, and could
imagine numerous uses for the product, including a
pasta topping, a hors d’oeuvre spread, as a ravioli
filling and as a side dish.
During the show AgBiz costumers initiated a number
of serious business contacts. In fact 10-15 contacts
per company were achieved out of which 20% have
potential for concluding business deals. 25 contacts
were made for exporting of ajvar, lutenica and other
processed vegetables; 20 contacts for potential
export of wild grown mushrooms (frozen and dried) to
US buyers and 15 serious contacts for potential
export of stuffed peppers. One contract, valued at
US$300,000, for exporting Macedonian processed
vegetable products was concluded during the Expo. In
addition, Macedonian companies negotiated with
leading US food processing equipment manufacturers
from the Chicago area to purchase equipment. One of
them concluded a contract worth US$500,000 for a
stem peeler and slicing machine.
“Fantastic organization; excellent presentation of
the Macedonian stand; very successful selling event;
and all thanks to USAID’s AgBiz Program. We made
numerous good business contacts and signed
pre-contracts for purchasing equipment“said Mr.
Trajko Alcinov, owner of Altra, one of the
exhibitors.
Based on the good acceptance of Macedonian
products at the 2008 Global Food & Style Expo,
USAID’s AgBiz Program will provide assistance to
the participants to further investigate the
potential for a broad-based introduction of
Macedonian flavor ajvar and lutenica.
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