• Pampa Compañía de Carnes is designing an export strategy that will allow it to introduce a novel product in potential gourmet food markets.
• The work is being done as part of the In-company Advisory Services Program run by ProCórdoba, an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Mining.

Dúo Silvestre, a factory based in Marcos Juárez, produces preserves and escabeches (pickles). Present in the market for 10 years, it has become one of the top three factories of the kind at the national level. With the aim of attaining a product for export, firm owner Sergio Hernández created Pampa Compañía de Carnes two years ago, a brand dedicated to trading game meats.

The commitment to this project arose in order to use the meat of the vizcacha, which is considered a pest for agricultural and livestock producers, because the rodant renders the land where it lives practically unproductive. In the face of this scenario, Hernández worked together with the National Institute for Agricultural Technology and prepared a proposal for addressing the problem while at the same time using the meat for the production of escabeches.

"Over time we built up a network of contacts. We had many favorable conditions and it took us a few years, but we managed to get all the permissions by national natural resources and fauna agency to assemble the traps especially designed for catching the vizcachas and implement the procedure for storage and transportation to the processing plant. We were able to satisfy the demand for our pickles and began to sell it in the domestic market, but we are still focused on exporting it," said the owner of the firm.

Vizcacha meat is highly nutritional and very low on fats and cholesterol. It is slowly gaining a place among local consumers and also projecting itself to international markets which are in constant search of gourmet products.

The In-company Advisory Services Program offered by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Mining's ProCórdoba Agency aims at providing customized tools for companies to increase their knowledge in foreign trade, bringing together all the services offered by the Agency, in order to develop an internationalization plan.

Regarding his experience with the program, Hernández explained:

"With ProCórdoba we learned, among other things, how to calculate export prices, how to consolidate a container, how to move through certification processes and how to look for future clients. In addition, we accessed the Fund for Export and Internationalization of Cordobese Companies, which allowed us to carry out a branding study and redesign the company's image from scratch. Everything we had developed for Pampa we are also applying to our escabeches, which have a high added value. Thus, we can offer both products together."

The EU and Saudi Arabia on the Radar

The work has allowed the company to identify the technical and legal export requirements, as well as the need to initiate certification processes. The vizcacha does not yet have Senasa's* export licenses, nor does has it obtained permits to enter certain potential markets such as Europe and Asia.

Therefore, Pampa Compañía de Carnes has extended its export strategy to other game meats, since it was important strengthen the offer with other products in order to obtain the permits. Thus, they incorporated deer, rabbit, hare, sheep and goat meats, which were already authorized both in the domestic market and in the destination markets, and are traditional products.

Recently, the company took another firm step towards its goals when it was remotely audited by the General Directorate of Food Industry Control of the Secretariat for Industry, to continue guaranteeing safe and quality foods during the pandemic. Córdoba is a pioneer in Argentina regarding the employment of this type of remote procedure in compliance with the requirements of food legislation.

Due to the current world context, the company has seen its numbers decrease in other countries, but it plans to participate in the most important international fairs in the sector, such as SIAL Paris, and has already made great progress in negotiations with an interested client from Saudi Arabia.

As to potential foreign markets, Hernández commented:

"We are in close contact with Argentina's Agricultural Attaché to the European Union (EU), home to consumers of these meats, to obtain all health permits for trade, always working with the Senasa. The work to position this product takes more time because the rest of the world is not familiar with it, but getting the European Union market would pave the way to other potential markets such as Asia."

The In-Company Advisory Services Program seeks to identify and consolidate the foreign trade knowledge that Cordoba's SMEs need in order to penetrate international markets, bringing together all the services offered by ProCórdoba Agency.

* National Service of Agri-Food Health and Quality.