FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, August 10, 2009

For more information contact:
Bill Clary

(502) 564-1137

PROGRAM OFFERS MARKETING FUNDS
FOR SMALL KENTUCKY FOOD BUSINESSES

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky food businesses interested in marketing their products internationally may apply for financial assistance, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer has announced.

“International demand for food products from the southern United States is stronger than ever,” Commissioner Farmer said. “The Market Access Program Branded offers matching funds to small companies to help them promote their products and increase sales in potentially lucrative foreign markets.”

MAP Branded provides reimbursement for half the cost of many promotional activities in markets around the globe, including television commercials, in-store promotions, required package and label changes, and other marketing efforts. The Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) is accepting applications for the 2010 Branded program. Firms based in Kentucky, 14 other southern states and Puerto Rico may apply for funding through SUSTA.

SUSTA provided MAP Branded funding to more than 70 small companies in 2008, with participants reporting $118 million in sales as a result of their promotions.

MAP Branded is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service and administered to southern U.S. companies by SUSTA. To be eligible for the Branded program, companies must be considered small according to U.S. Small Business Administration standards, have yearly sales of at least $100,000 and promote a brand-name product that is at least 50 percent U.S. agricultural origin.

Companies applying for MAP Branded funds may download the Pre-Qualification Form on the SUSTA Web site at www.susta.org/services/map_application.html. For more information, contact the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s international marketing program at (502) 564-4983 or the SUSTA office at (504) 568-5986.

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