Africa is a continent in which almost three-quarters of the population earn a living (to varying degrees) from agriculture. It is a place that for decades has struggled to enter "meaningful" global trade; something that could easily start the process of eliminating extreme poverty in the region. While the concept of exporting raw materials out of Africa is fine, building up the manufacturing base and exporting the "cultures" of Africa is much more sustainable. By exporting the culinary flavors of Africa, Talier Trading Group has been able to not only expose the mass market to these wonderful cuisines, but also assist in the educational process what will, one day soon, help eliminate extreme poverty.

Africa is a continent rich in culture and diversity. Each country, and indeed each region, has unique cultural and culinary offerings. Here in the US (the single largest consumer of ethnic specialty foods), African food was non-existent two years ago. Few people knew anything about African cuisines (most didn't realize that there was African cuisine). Today, I'm happy to report that African specialty foods are making a huge impact. We have been placing "African Sets" into supermarkets around the country, and the response has been overwhelming. We've invested the time, money and resources in working with African farming cooperatives and manufacturers to ensure legal compliance, marketability, fair trade pricing and so on. The result has been over 180 products into the US mass-market from 17 different African countries. Supermarkets, mass media and of course, consumers, have all been entranced by the quality and variety of African cuisines. Our African program is a work in progress. We are now moving into other developing countries, working more closely with rural areas (including the Millennium Villages), and reaching out to regions yet affected by this stimulating interest. We are also entering into many joint marketing relationships, primarily in tourism. One can't help but reflect on the impact Thai food has had on America. Ten years ago, Thai specialty foods was almost non-existent here. Now, it's everywhere...and surprise...tourism to Thailand is up almost 73%. While I'm certainly not insinuating that people are flocking to Thailand in search of the "ultimate green curry", I am certainly saying that specialty food exports have helped in the educational process that turned Thailand from an unknown third-world country into a leading destination for American tourists. This is exactly what's happening with Africa now.

One of our biggest challenges has been helping to define what it means to be "Kenyan", or "Senegalese", or "South African", or "Rwandan". What is special about each culture, and how can we best export a piece of that culture? Specialty foods is certainly one of those areas in which we can take a snapshot of a culture and market it abroad. Who wouldn't love to go home and make some Jollof Rice, or Gari Bread, or any of the wonderful Senegalese cooking sauces? The answer in the US is "alot of people would". However, how many know what food in Senegal is? Considering most people in the US don't even know where Senegal is, this would be a challenge. Specialty food exports aim at pre-packaging the finest cuisines from a region in an upscale, easy to use concept. Cooking sauces are great for this. Brown some chicken and pour some authentic cooking sauce on top of it...how simple!

The mission at Talier Trading Group isn't simply to market specialty food products. Rather, it's to market the concept of Africa to a public who don't know much about this mysterious continent, but thirst to find out. We've partnered with airlines, travel industry professionals, NGO's, government organizations and hundreds of other organizations because we are all part of the educational process that is occuring now. Teaching people about the magic of Africa, while showing Africans that there is indeed a market for their amazing cultures and cuisines, is the surest way (and most sustainable way) of having Africans lead themselves out of extreme poverty.