Cereal Ingredients, Inc., of Leavenworth, KS in the 2nd Congressional District, participated in the Food Export-Midwest sponsored Focused Trade Mission to China for Food Ingredients in February 2008. According to Executive VP of Sales and Marketing, Jim Thomasson, “It couldn't have been any better. We received great detail of information about the market. And contacts made with a buyer yielded export sales of $42,000.” Through participating in Food Export- Midwest’s Buyers Missions, where Cereal Ingredients, Inc. had the opportunity to meet with international buyers, the company made a total of $73,000 in export sales in 2008. In addition, In 2009 Cereal Ingredients, Inc. won the “Exporter of the Year” award which is one of Kansas’ top business honors. And 2009 is looking just as bright. So far, the company has made sales to the buyer from the Focused Trade Mission to China for $36,000 with another shipment due out in June.

The company has taken advantage of Branded Program for advertising, sending product samples to international markets and exhibiting at international shows for the past five years. The Branded Program is funded through the Market Access Program and administered by Food Export-Northeast. It provides reimbursement of 50 percent of many international promotional costs to help small companies increase their export of U.S. agricultural products. Since moving to Kansas in 2005, the company has expanded to two facilities in Leavenworth and increased its staff by 131%. This includes two new employees as a result of new export sales. The company exports nearly 30% of its products and has increased those sales by 76% from 2005-2008.  Currently, the company exports its products to cereal manufacturers and bread bakers in 11 different countries.

Cereal Ingredients, Inc., established in 1990, researches, develops and markets unique food ingredients such as fruit analogs, inclusion pieces, nutritional crisps and toppings called Flav-R-Bites® and Nutri-Bites®.  These items add flavor, texture and color to cereals, baked goods, snack foods, nutritional bars, confectionary and many other applications.

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.