Midamar Corporation of Cedar Rapids, IA in the 2nd Congressional District has taken advantage of the Branded Program for two decades. The Branded Program is funded through the Market Access Program and administered by Food Export-Midwest.   It provides reimbursement of 50 percent of many international promotional costs to help small companies increase their export of U.S. agricultural products. As a result, the company is exporting from West Asia to East Asia.

The company used Branded Program funds to exhibit at the 2008 and 2009 Gulfood Show in Dubai, U.A.E. As a result of contacts made at the shows, Midamar has sold product totaling $375,000 to Qatar, $250,000 to the UAE, $200,000 to Saudi Arabia and $400,000 to Kuwait. Export sales for the company have increased 55% in the past year. “The Branded Program assistance is a great incentive for helping small companies,” Timothy Hyatt, Export Documentation & Project Manager. “Thankfully, Midamar started participating in Food Export-Midwest sponsored programs and services 20 years ago because we’ve seen significant growth in our export sales.  We built a new facility in 1992 and have added up to 10 employees from international sales to export documentation and warehouse personnel to support our exports,” said Hyatt.

Midamar Corporation is a supplier of Halal foods throughout North Africa, the Gulf Region, West Asia and East Asia, as well as North America for the foodservice industry. Additionally, Midamar is a full service provider and consolidator to the hospitality industry of other food products and restaurant supplies to the stated overseas regions.  The company was founded in 1974.

Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast are private, non-profit associations of Midwestern and Northeastern state agricultural promotion agencies that use federal, state, and industry resources to promote the export of Midwestern and Northeastern food and agricultural products. Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast administer many services through Market Access Program (MAP) funding from the USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service.