Indiana farmers tout U.S. red meat in Latin America 

By Larry Rusch, ISA District 3 Board Director 

Buyers from 18 countries from across Central and South America and the Caribbean gathered with representatives of more than 80 U.S. red meat exporters at the 13th edition of the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s (USMEF) Latin American Product Showcase. 

The event, July 30-31 in Guatemala City, has long been supported by the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA). 

I had the privilege to join as buyers and sellers met face-to-face for two days in what has become a must-go event for exporting companies and importers, distributors, retailers and restaurateurs from throughout the Latin American region. We also toured Guatemalan retail to see U.S. beef and pork featured in wet markets, Walmart-affiliated stores and high-end groceries and butcher shops. 

The region has changed since the early days of the showcase nearly 15 years ago. At that point, export volumes to Central and South America and the Caribbean were small, but there were emerging opportunities through a growing middle class and improved market access through trade agreements such as the Central America Dominican Republic-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and bilateral pacts with Colombia, Peru, Chile and Panama. 

Today, Central America is a rising star destination for U.S. pork exports. In the first half of 2025, exports topped last year’s pace by 20 percent (88,260 metric tons, or mt) while valued soared 22 percent higher to $282 million. 

First half exports to South America were up 14 percent from a year ago in volume (73,130 metric tons), and value rose 17 percent to more than $218 million. 

While pork exports to the Caribbean have remained largely steady with last year, Cuba has seen a 122 percent increase in volume (8,188 metric tons) and jumped 131 percent in value ($24.6 million). 

One of the biggest challenges for U.S. exporters in building sales in the region is the number of countries and vast geography involved. The Latin American Product Showcase provides an unprecedented opportunity to meet directly with interested buyers from across the region in just two days. 

“In two days, you have an opportunity to meet people from all the way from Chile through Puerto Rico through Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, in one location,” said Bob Giertz of Indiana Packers Corporation. “We do a lot of business into Central and Latin America and the Caribbean areas. And this draws a large customer base that we currently do business with but also gives us an opportunity to meet face-to-face with new customer opportunities and develop our business further.” 

On our retail tours, we saw U.S. pork featured prominently and witnessed the strong demand for cuts that are underutilized in the domestic U.S. market. Interest in the pork loin is growing across Latin America thanks to the marketing and product development efforts of USMEF, in addition to the traditional demand for pork variety meats. 

In addition to the Indiana Soybean Alliance, the Latin American Product Showcase is supported by USDA, the National Pork Board, the Beef Checkoff Program and the Nebraska Beef Council. 

The next USMEF Latin American Product Showcase is planned for the summer of 2027, with the location and dates to be determined. For more details on the 2025 event, please visit www.usmef.org. You can also scan this QR code to view video highlights from the event on your mobile device.