Selling dairy products to international partners is not the ultimate goal. Developing repeat buyers is truly what the U.S. Dairy Export Council's mission is when working with dairy purchasers around the globe.
That objective was on full display at the USDEC's latest trade mission in the Middle East. Two simultaneous sessions took place - one focused on the U.S. dairy market and its products, and a concurrent session focused on properly preparing great tasting foods with dairy. Not only was the dairy cuisine session informative but extremely entertaining.
Serving as hosts for the full-day food show were Wisconsin's John Esser and California's Mark Todd, the self-professed "Cheese Dude." After listening to these two perform, there was no need for a main attraction as the man with two first names (Mark Todd) could have been Lou Costello, had you closed your eyes, while Esser would have been Bud Abbott. In mixing humor with dairy product preparation techniques and insight, chefs from across the Middle East left with countless new dairy food cooking options.
In the give and take format, Todd discussed the full palette of cheeses and other dairy ingredients. After informative, short lectures, attention turned to the video screen as Esser showed his latest creation via live footage from the kitchen. To fully bring the presentation to life, those dishes then immediately made their way to the lecture hall where Middle Eastern and North African chefs could smell and taste the dairy delights.
Not only did the region's delegation leave impressed by the work of Abbott (Esser) and Costello (Todd), the U.S. dairy producers in attendance thought the same. Shown in the photo at the end of the video are Mark Todd, Jim Reid (Michigan dairy producer) and John Esser.
Editor's note: This is the fifth article in a four-part Hoard's Dairyman Intel series discussing the growing Middle East market. Dubai is home to the world's ninth-largest shipping port. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of the imports into Dubai, the business hub of the Middle East, are food items. Next to grain and rice, dairy is the next largest food import.
Click to watch the November 11 Hoard's Dairyman Intel video: Middle East hungry for dairy products
Click to watch the November 18 Hoard's Dairyman Intel video: U.S. needs to become a steady buyer
Click to watch the November 25 Hoard's Dairyman Intel video: USDEC connects buyers and sellers
