A series of "demanding products" entered the United States one after another
One day near the end of 2023, Mr. Nguyen Manh Quyen - Head of the Vietnam Trade Office (CNTV) in Houston, USA informed PV of PLVN Newspaper that after many efforts of Vietnamese enterprises and CNTV in Houston, Habeco beer was officially exported (XK) to the United States, with MIB Morris International Beverage Company - a US enterprise (DN) as the main importer (NK). This is considered a prominent event in the journey to bring Vietnamese goods to penetrate the United States in 2023 of the Vietnamese trade office system abroad.
Mr. Brad Morris - President of MIB Morris International Beverage Company said that importing alcoholic beverages into the United States requires a special license; storage, wholesale, retail and usage processes are also closely managed and monitored by US government agencies.
However, after many connections from Vietnam CNTV in Houston and the official visit to the Habeco Factory headquarters in September 2023 (on the occasion of attending the Vietnam Sourcing 2023 event), MIB decided to proceed with signing the contract to import the first shipment to the United States (exported in November 2023). Up to now, MIB Company has successfully imported shipments by sea (from November 2023) and by air (in December 2023) to the United States to distribute to dozens of partners in the market.
TNI Corporation's Vietnamese coffee brand King Coffee was launched and conquered the US market many years ago, but it was not until 2023 that this product officially entered the Costco Wholesale system - the largest wholesale chain in the US. Previously, this brand sold directly to large supply chains in the US such as Food Town, Fiesta, Asian Super Markets... and is aiming for Walmart and HEB sales chains in the near future.
Mr. Do Ngoc Hung - Commercial Counselor, Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the United States shared that exporting lychees to the US market still faces many difficulties, most notably the lack of a US-recognized irradiation facility in the North. The lack of irradiation facilities according to US standards to ensure the conditions for exporting fresh fruits, especially lychees due to their short shelf life, to this market is a big challenge because they have to be transported to Ho Chi Minh City for irradiation. This increases transportation costs, reduces the quantity and quality of exported fruits, and reduces the consumption time of lychees in the distribution system.
Despite such difficulties and strict conditions, in 2023, there were 2 companies officially importing lychee into the United States. Of which, nearly 20 tons of fresh lychee transported by sea were officially distributed and sold at Safeway and Albertsons supermarket chains in the West Coast states of the United States such as Washington, Oregon and California...
Notably, the batch of lychees that LNS International Corporation (importer) and L&V Food Supply Company (distributor) based in Houston (Texas) have coordinated to bring the first batch of fresh lychees of the 2023 crop from Bac Giang by air to Houston. Fresh Vietnamese lychees have been sold simultaneously at many of the largest Asian supermarkets and markets in Houston such as: Hong Kong, Tan Binh, Viet Hoa, Linda's Tropical Fruits, Ca Mau...
Advocacy efforts, connecting from halfway around the world
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Image of fresh lychee consumed in the US supermarket system. (Photo source: DVCC) |
Mr. Nguyen Manh Quyen said that since the end of 2020, the Vietnam Trade Office in Houston has grasped market demand and learned about opportunities to bring fresh lychees to the United States. After that, the Trade Office directly guided many Vietnamese enterprises to contact the Trade Office and the APHIS Animal and Plant Quarantine Department of the US Embassy in Hanoi. Along with that, coordinate with the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston and US partners to promote activities to guide enterprises to link up and promote trade for fresh lychees; support enterprises to bring agricultural products in general and fresh lychees in particular to the world's most demanding markets by air.
Mr. Do Ngoc Hung also said that bringing 20 tons of fresh lychee to the West Coast of the United States was the result of efforts since the end of 2022 by the Vietnam Trade Office in San Francisco and the Vietnam Trade Office in Washington DC. Along with that is the coordination with domestic agencies, enterprises and US enterprises to import fresh lychee from Vietnam for consumption in the US market, especially in the West Coast states of this country. According to the representative of the Trade Office in San Francisco, it is necessary to mention the efforts of Dragonberry Produce Company - a US enterprise headquartered in Canby City (Oregon State).
Those working in trade in the United States affirmed that the contributions of the US Embassy in Vietnam and trade partners, services related to transportation and irradiation, inspection and testing of shipments have also made an important contribution to the success of bringing Vietnamese agricultural products to the US market.
The representative of CNTV in San Francisco assessed that the introduction of lychee into supermarket systems is a great success in promoting the consumption of Vietnamese fruits in general and lychee in particular in the US market. The reason is that most of the fruits exported from Vietnam to the US only reach the system of small markets and supermarkets serving Asian consumers. Not to mention the price of 200,000 VND/kg is a very competitive price compared to fresh lychee imported from China and Mexico (currently sold at Asian markets in San Francisco at the equivalent price of 259,000 VND/kg) - the 2 main sources of supply and also the 2 biggest competitors of fresh Vietnamese lychee.
To contribute to bringing Vietnamese lychees closer to US consumers, CNTV in San Francisco has coordinated with the Vietnamese Business Association in the US, organizations and businesses to carry out promotional and communication activities on information channels, especially on social networks; organize booths to display and sell lychees in some Vietnamese and Asian markets; organize tasting activities to help people get acquainted with and love lychees, thereby promoting the consumption of this fruit...
Extending the journey of Vietnamese goods to the United States…
It can be affirmed that the United States will continue to be an important import market for Vietnam. Therefore, maintaining, sustaining and further developing Vietnamese products in the United States is the desire not only of Vietnamese enterprises but also of all those working in trade in the United States and Vietnam. In particular, it is necessary to mention the support of enterprises that have officially exported goods to the United States.
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Mr. Nguyen Manh Quyen (second from right) with a team of entrepreneurs and businesses wishing to bring more Vietnamese brands to the United States. (Photo: DVCC). |
At the official launch ceremony of Habeco beer in the United States, Mr. Tran Dinh Thanh - Chairman of Habeco and Mr. Nguyen Manh Quyen said that the two units have been, are and will continue to accompany Vietnamese - US enterprises, supporting importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, to enhance the position, help Vietnamese goods fly further, and bring more Vietnamese goods to the United States - the most demanding market in the world from the beginning of 2024.
Mr. Kelvin Nguyen - King Coffee business manager in the United States also affirmed that he and the King Coffee brand will join in supporting Vietnamese enterprises to have good coordination between exporters - importers - distributors for large shipments in the United States; contribute to consulting for investors, producers and cooperate in research and sharing market information with partners; together create a healthy competitive environment to help Vietnamese enterprises have many successful export shipments to large markets such as the United States in the near future.
LNS Company representative added that, to continue the initial success of bringing the first batch of fresh lychees of the 2023 crop from Bac Giang by air to the United States, LNS will continue to coordinate with import, distribution, and transportation partners... to bring Vietnamese agricultural products (in addition to fresh lychees) to many US states to encourage US consumers and enhance the reputation of Vietnamese enterprises worldwide.
In 2023, some of the outstanding success factors that help Vietnamese goods penetrate into the US are the dynamic combination of smart importers - businesses with knowledge/creativity and experience in bringing goods into distribution chains at the right time and the combination of wholesalers/retailers in the US.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Quyen affirmed that it is the dynamism and support of US enterprises that has extended the journey of Vietnamese goods into the US. In addition, the cooperation of Vietnamese enterprises in the market also plays a very active role in the stages of product distribution in the network of supermarkets and Asian markets. These are positive factors, contributing to the overall success of bilateral import-export activities, bringing more and more Vietnamese goods to the US...
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