By Susan Reidy

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO — USA Rice led a trade mission to Mexico, bringing together US rice growers, merchants and allied industry representatives to reinforce relationships with key customers and get insight into the export market.

The mission began in Veracruz with a visit to Promexa, where delegates toured the company’s milling facilities, warehouses and laboratory following a discussion on the current state of the Mexican rice market. Company representatives shared that while they continue to source US rice, South American suppliers have gained market share due to quality and pricing advantages.

The delegation then traveled to Orizaba to meet with Grupo Schettino, Mexico’s largest importer of US rice. During the visit, USA Rice members provided crop updates and overviews of their farming and business operations, while Grupo Schettino offered valuable insight into evolving consumer preferences and sourcing decisions.

The mission continued in Mexico City with a trade seminar that brought together US industry representatives, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Mexico, the Mexican Rice Council, and Mexican importers: Promexa, Hanami, La Merced, El Bajio, and Alimentos Cazerola.

Discussions focused on market conditions, consumer trends, promotional initiatives, crop outlooks, and the growing competition from Asian and South American suppliers. Participants also explored opportunities for continued collaboration to drive demand for US-origin rice in Mexico.

Throughout the week, delegates visited wholesale and retail markets to observe merchandising practices, pricing and consumer purchasing trends. The group also attended several USA Rice promotional activities, including the Harvest Rush virtual reality activation and an interactive consumer campaign at a local movie theater. Delegates also joined USA Rice Ambassador Chef Aquiles Chávez at his Sotero Restaurant, where he hosted a live social media cooking demonstration featuring a cocoa horchata recipe prepared alongside trade mission participants.

“The value of these trade missions is the opportunity to hear directly from our customers while providing an immersive market experience for our USA Rice members,” said Aisha Grigsby, USA Rice senior director of international promotion, Western Hemisphere. “The open dialogue throughout the week provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing US rice in Mexico and reaffirmed the importance of continued collaboration to strengthen our long-standing partnership.”

The trade mission concluded at Ambrosia Culinary Institute, where delegates gave valuable feedback on the trade mission and participated in an interactive cooking session with USA Rice Ambassador Chefs while learning about the institute’s accredited rice education program.Mexico remains the largest export market for US rice, making strong customer relationships and regular trade servicing more important than ever, USA Rice said. 

Published Date: July 29, 2026