USAID Helps Small Salvadoran Exports Reach US Market
October 28, 2004

USAID El Salvador sponsored 15 small Salvadoran firms at a Natural Products Expo Fair held in Washington, DC on October 14-15. Salvadoran Ambassador to the United States Rene Leon attended the event, spoke to the press, sampled products and met with the Salvadoran exporters.

The Salvadoran exhibitors made hundreds of contacts with U.S. distributors and buyers representing the ethnic product market in the United States. USAID's export promotion, or EXPRO, program has already assisted more than 300 small Salvadoran businesses in their efforts to export products to the United States and elsewhere in Central America. Already the program has generated more than $7.2 million in new exports.

As a result of the EXPRO program, three small businesses have reached agreement with Wal-Mart, a major step forward in their business development effort. Two of the companies, Sweets (alfajores) and Monico (bakery items) have already sent their first containers to Wal-Mart for distribution in 88 stores. Pahnas, a frozen pupusa company, just reached agreement with Wal-mart to send 6-8 containers to cover 52 Wal-Mart stores.