US Roadshow on Food Processing

Read more about the Transatlantic Cluster Initiative's Roadshow on Food Processing across Ohio, Missouri and Minnesota.

Program Overview

Accounting for $190bn annual revenue and employing 580,000 individuals, the German food and beverage industry is the leading European player for food processing excellence. Furthermore, the sector consists of 90% SME manufacturers and is attributed as the second largest in terms of value added to the overall German economy.

Trade in the food and beverage industry between Germany and the US shows strong relationships. Increasing consumer purchasing power in both the US and Germany aided exports of 9.9% and 5.8% of the total world market share of food and beverage products, respectively.

With the ever-increasing prominence of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing technologies, the food and beverage sector is taking the steps to maximize its production and processing capabilities – and to meet this worldwide consumer demand.


Roadshow Itinerary and Events

April 15 - 19, 2019

Our partners, select Food Processing experts and representatives joined our German cluster delegation at these events to:

  • Network with leaders of German Food Processing clusters,
  • Exchange best-practices surrounding digitalization in food processing, resource efficiency and
  • Discuss international collaboration opportunities and learn more about our Cluster delegation trip to Germany

Event description | Springfield, OH | April 15, 11:30am - 2:00pm

  • Attendees joined to explore three global challenges facing food and agriculture: consumer demands and changing perceptions, workforce needs and limitations, and governmental and regulatory pressures. They learnt how organizations in both Germany and the United States view these challenges, the similarities and differences between the two, and the steps they are taking to address them.

Event description | Minneapolis, MN | April 19, 8:00am - 11:15am

  • Attendees joined us for an informative session to learn about innovative aspects of Germany and Minnesota's food processing clusters, exchanged best-practices and resources each market has to offer, discussed international collaboration, and networked with leaders from Germany's top food processing cluster organizations.

Delegation Trip to Germany

May 13 - 17, 2019

The roadshow will be followed by the cluster delegation trip to Germany.

15 select US-participants will have ample opportunity to visit and speak with German Food Processing key players from business and research institutions as well as interact with leading industry associations and clusters. Last but not least, participants will have plenty of chance to immerse themselves in German culture and hospitality.

Information and tentative travel itinerary.

For more details regarding Transatlantic Cluster events, please contact Jessica Ferklass.


The GACC Midwest Transatlantic Delegation trip on E-Mobility was a truly valuable experience for me. With Germany’s historical role in the automotive industry, there is a significant amount to learn from the German market about the future of mobility services and policies. I was very pleased with the quality of the program, events and background insights gained from my fellow delegates. The conversations that I was able to have and the relationships that I was able to make with potential German partners and program participants are already proving themselves valuable. Through the Transatlantic Cluster Initiative, I am in discussion, for instance, with researchers at the Technical University Munich (TUM). I’m very interested to combine Arity’s technical aptitude with the advanced research capabilities of TUM’s highly-skilled faculty to faster reach common goals of improving public infrastructure systems both in the US and Germany. The Transatlantic Cluster Initiative has provided us opportunities to accelerate our progress.
Brandon Mendoza Head of Product, New Mobility, Arity

US Partners

German Partners