LANSING -- France is the culinary capital of the world. It is home to such exotic dishes as foie gras, bouillabaisse, ratatouille... and Michigan dried cherries?
Michigan companies with the help of state government are working to develop broader markets for their food products, traveling to Europe and Asia to introduce them to new audiences.
The efforts appear to be working. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Michigan's total agricultural exports rose from $836 million in 2003 to more than $1.2 billion in 2007 -- an increase of 48 percent, slightly greater than the rate of the country as a whole. Figures for 2008 will be available in June.
The biggest exports were soybeans and soybean products, worth $290 million, feed, grains and products, worth $242 million, and fruits and fruit preparation, worth $122 million.
Fruit products are also the fastest-growing export, as their exports more than doubled between 2003 and 2007, rising from $49 million to $122 million.
The export sales manager for Shoreline Fruit Growers, Inc., a Traverse City-based company that specializes in dried fruit products, described how his company is developing new markets.
"Our main sales are still here in the U.S., but we're actively pursuing those international sales," said Joe Lothamer, who's based in Lansing.
Despite the technology advances that make international marketing easier, personal contact is the key to success, Lothamer said.
"You've got to shake hands with them. You've got to go out to dinner with them," he said.
And Michigan companies have been doing plenty of both. In March representatives of Shoreline and three other companies -- Graceland Fruit, Inc. of Frankfort, Koeze Company of Grand Rapids, and Cherry Marketing Institute, Inc. of DeWitt -- traveled to Foodex Japan, Asia's largest food show.
That trip was organized by the development division of the state Department of Agriculture. It's among several state efforts to grow international markets, said Jamie Zmitko-Somers, the division's international marketing manager.
Lothamer said there is room for better recognition of Michigan's agricultural capabilities.
"There is recognition that Michigan has a fruit industry, but that's about all they know right there," he said. Lothamer uses varied methods, from as simple as carrying along maps to show where he's from to as complex as flying in customers to experience Michigan for themselves, to build business relationships.
Giving potential customers a tour of Traverse City's orchards and the Lake Michigan shoreline and sand dunes creates an emotional connection and a genuine appreciation for the state, he said.
Both Lothamer and Zmitko-Somers said despite occasional hitches, communication among different cultures and even languages goes smoothly.
"Overall, business internationally is conducted in a very polite manner," Lothamer said.
Thomas J. Morrisey writes for Michigan State University's Capital News Service.
Some facts about Michigan cherries
-- Michigan grows 70 to 75 percent of the overall U.S. cherry crop.
-- One pound of dried cherries takes six to eight pounds of fresh cherries to make.
-- A plant pigment found in cherries, anthocyanin, was found by the University of Michigan to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels in rats.
-- Other research by the University of Texas suggests that a nutrient in cherries, melatonin, can help restore a sleep schedule disrupted by jet lag.
Source: Cherry Marketing Institute, Inc.
