News & Events | Promotions Boost Presence of U.S. Pork, Beef in Dominican Republic

Promotions Boost Presence of U.S. Pork, Beef in Dominican Republic

Recent promotions of U.S. pork and beef in the Dominican Republic are paying dividends, as export volumes for both products grew significantly in 2009. It was a particularly strong year for pork/pork variety meat exports, which surged more than 40 percent in volume (to 18,791 metric tons or 41.43 million pounds) and increased by nearly one-third in value (to $34.02 million) over 2008. These results set new single-year records, with United States even surpassing the pork quota established in the CAFTA-DR free trade agreement. December was an especially strong month, as pork exports doubled in volume and grew by 90 percent in value over year-ago levels.

U.S. beef/beef variety exports also had a successful year in the Dominican Republic, setting a new single-year volume record of 3,474 metric tons (7.66 million pounds). Amid a difficult economic environment, however, the value of these exports was lower than in 2008.

At the retail level, USMEF has developed a close relationship with the Dominican Republic’s largest supermarket chain, Grupo Ramos. In recent months, USMEF utilized tasting promotions and a “mystery shopper” program to foster interest in U.S. beef and pork. The mystery shopper program allows customers to evaluate the neatness, order and overall appeal of the supermarket’s meat department, providing the retailer with valuable consumer feedback. During the five-month period in which USMEF promotions were held, Grupo Ramos stores achieved nearly a 40 percent increase in year-over-year U.S. pork sales and an astonishing 82 percent surge in sales of U.S. beef.

Supermarket customers in the Dominican Republic have shown a growing appetite for U.S. pork and beef

USMEF has also featured celebrity Chef Max Covaliu in several Dominican Republic promotions, including the USMEF-sponsored “American Food and Wine Festival” held in December at the Hilton Hotel in Santo Domingo. With support from Beef and Pork Checkoff funds and the Market Access Program, Chef Covaliu instructed hotel chefs and kitchen personnel in preparing dinner menus for several high-profile events.

Chef Covaliu’s presence also commanded strong media interest, as he appeared on the popular television cooking program Gourmet Passion with well-known local chef Juancho Ortiz. Five cooking demonstrations were aired, each featuring delicious recipes using U.S. beef and pork as primary ingredients. Interviews with Chef Covaliu were also featured in the local newspaper El Nacional and local magazines Culinary News and Hotel Business News, where he discussed the positive attributes of U.S. beef and pork.

“U.S. pork and beef are gaining excellent traction in the Dominican Republic, and USMEF expects to further build on this momentum in 2010,” said Chad Russell, USMEF regional director for Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic. “The CAFTA-DR agreement has improved market access, and both the retail and foodservice sectors are expanding. So we see this as an exciting market with a lot of potential for further growth.”

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.

For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.

USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.