Allegro Fine Foods first participated in SUSTA's MAP Branded program in 1999. Since then, the program has helped the company acquire four accounts and form relationships with multiple buyers overseas. Allegro used MAP funds for translating labels into Spanish, French and Japanese and holding in-store promotions in a number of countries including Japan, Mexico, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong. Additionally, Allegro utilized the funds for booth space at the Fancy Food Trade Show in New York and San Francisco as well as FMI/US Food Export Showcase in Chicago and Food Ex 2000 and 2001 in Japan. SUSTA funds were also used to ship product samples of Allegro marinades to potential foreign buyers. In addition, Allegro used funds for direct mailings, paper ads and promotional giveaway gifts.

Rick Horiuchi, international marketing director for Allegro, plans to use MAP funds to expand business into Australia, New Zealand and select European counties. He advises companies considering exporting to attend overseas shows and stresses that a business, which hopes to interest foreign buyers, must be consistent in its show attendance. He explains that companies exhibiting at a show year after year appear to buyers as stable and serious about exporting. A business that attends a show once or twice does not exude real interest in oversees relations. "It takes time and effort to establish a brand name," Horiuchi says.

He adds that MAP funds make consistent attendance at oversees shows possible. Companies can also reduce exhibitor costs by participating in the U.S. pavilions, which have the benefit of a unified presence at large shows. Horiuchi also recommends using SUSTA funds for translating English labels into the language used in the country the products are exported to. "End consumers prefer their own language [on product labels]".

Horiuchi feels SUSTA is a great source of information. A company working alone must put forth a lot of effort to discover the information available through SUSTA and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) such as contacts and market research. Horiuchi maintains a relationship with SUSTA, FAS and country representatives, known as Agricultural Trade Officers (ATOs), to stay informed with issues affecting the countries in which Allegro does business. Another place Allegro finds information about exporting is the International Trade Center and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. These contacts are an additional source for information on exporting activities, such as buyer trade missions, international trade shows and exporting seminars.

In addition to the MAP program, Allegro has participated in and benefited from other SUSTA programs including Reverse Trade Missions, in-store promotions, and export seminars. In fact, after attending a SUSTA seminar about the Andean region in South America, Allegro decided to explore that market.

As Allegro enters its third year in the MAP program, Horiuchi would, "highly recommend [the program] for small sized companies looking into the global market." He explains the time and effort put into the application process really pays off.