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In 2016, Brian Schroeder, Director at Kizable, LLC, traveled to Shanghai to exhibit at SIAL China. He was there promoting Kizable’s flavored lip balms and mints, which are sold in clever lip-shaped tins. While at the show, Schroeder, who has years of experience selling his product in China and throughout Asia, met an Italian buyer walking by the Kizable booth. One year later, in January 2017, after much follow up and navigating Italian import regulations, Kizable is exporting to Italy for the first time with sales totaling more than $300,000. They are now being sold in over 2,000 shops and just confirmed a second order with this Italian client.
Kizable was able to receive 50% reimbursement of expenses tied to this export success in the Italian market through SUSTA’s Market Access Program 50% CostShare. In addition, he is working to create displays for the Italian market to further promote his product; he will be able to apply for 50% reimbursement of these temporary, in-store displays. “The cost sharing program is and has been a blessing for me to help grow the Kizandy brand. There is no way I could achieve these positive results without these programs to help compete against the other countries competing for the same space,” said Schroeder.
Kizable, a small business located in Clearwater, Florida, has been using SUSTA’s Market Access Programs to expand internationally for over five years. The Market Access Programs are funded primarily through the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS).
