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Start your export journey with customized research and training through the Rural Export Center.

Healthy Food Ingredients Seeks Organic Growth

Healthy Food Ingredients Seeks Organic Growth

HFI

Healthy Food Ingredients (HFI), a specialty ingredient brand located in Fargo, North Dakota, that markets flax, ancient grains, oils, pulses soybeans and other crops recently received a customized, worldwide research project from the Rural Export Center in Fargo, ND. They started with a matrix to narrow all the countries of the world to six, followed by communication with the top 6 prospective countries, and culminating in in-depth research on their top 3 markets. Research was conducted on the gluten free, non-genetically modified organism (GMO), and organic food ingredient trends in each country. Funded with a Small Business Administration (SBA) STEP Grant through the North Dakota Trade Office, the Matrix + 3 Country Report included: 1) Identifying potential buyers/partners/distributors, 2) comparative landed cost analysis incorporating shipping costs and import tariff and tax rates, 3) an overview of the gluten free, non-GMO, and organic food trends in each country, and 4) relevant trade shows.

“The RAISE reports that the Rural Export Center put together for us have been very valuable in terms of understanding the current, real-time landscape in markets that we see the most potential for export business as well as market research and tariff/VAT information provided in the reports,” said Jennifer Tesch, Chief Marketing Officer for HFI. “We appreciate the REC’s expertise in these areas which allows us to efficiently gain comprehensive market data and intelligence. In addition, the use of STEP funding has been instrumental in giving us access to this type of information.”

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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