07.01.04

Cantwell Congratulates Washington Company on Trade Deal With Cuba

SUPERVALU International to ship grocery products and frozen foods to Cuba

SEATTLE, WA – Sen. Maria Cantwell today congratulated SUPERVALU International, a division of SUPERVALU, Inc. operating in Washington state, on signing contracts with Cuban officials to export nearly $200,000 of grocery products and frozen foods to Cuba. She made her comments during a speech at the 9 th annual Washington Council on International Trade Conference in Seattle. Cantwell, who led a successful trade mission to Cuba in 2002 assisted the company in its communications with both the United States and Cuban governments.

"I'm glad to help open the Cuban market to more Washington state products," Cantwell said. "Trade is a linchpin of our state's economy, and in today's increasingly global economy, we must do everything we can to help Washington businesses bring their goods to the international marketplace."

"This business is important as a first step toward expanding our product lines into a developing market," said Charles K. Witzleben, President of SUPERVALU International. "Access to the Cuban market will enable SUPERVALU to further extend its expertise in international supply and distribution."

Under the new contracts, SUPERVALU International will ship such products as evaporated milk, frozen vegetables, and instant tea to Cuba. SUPERVALU International, a division of SUPERVALU, Inc., employs 50 people in Tacoma, Washington.

This agreement builds on Cantwell's successes opening foreign markets to Washington state products:

In 2003, Cantwell led a trade mission to Mexico that resulted in the first-ever shipment of Washington potatoes to Mexico, the world's second-largest potato market. In the last year, Washington farmers have shipped $1.7 million in potatoes to Mexico. In 2002, Cantwell led a successful trade mission to Cuba that resulted in the historic first shipments of Washington state apples, peas, and lentils to Cuba in over forty years. Also in 2002 Cantwell helped expand the British Columbia wine market to more than twenty Washington state wineries. Cantwell has also been a strong advocate for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Market Access Program, which helps agriculture producers access foreign markets. She supported a successful expansion of the MAP program to $210 million annually by 2006.