For over 25 years, Multi Fruit USA, a small business headquartered in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, with field offices in the states of California and Washington, has been exporting US-grown apples, pears, citrus, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, organics and other fruit and vegetables to customers in Asia, Central and South America, Europe, India and the Middle East. In addition to providing fruit and vegetables, Multi Fruit is an experienced logistics coordinator, organizing land, sea and air freight to ensure that the produce reaches its destination in time, while maintaining the highest level of quality.
Challenge
While exporting presents many opportunities for small businesses like Multi Fruit, it also carries some risk. The reality is that it is very difficult for a small U.S.-based business to initiate credit collections from a foreign company. Multi Fruit faced this challenge and had foreign receivables collection problems with several international clients. In addition to the negative financial impact of bad debt, the collections problems hindered the company’s growth. Multi Fruit wanted to expand into new markets, but was concerned about the risk of nonpayment by new international customers.
Solution
Export credit insurance from EXIM Bank protects Multi Fruit’s foreign receivables from nonpayment by international buyers. In addition to protecting the company’s assets, export credit insurance empowers Multi Fruit to offer credit terms to new and existing buyers, while mitigating the risk of nonpayment. With export credit insurance, Multi Fruit USA expanded into new markets with the confidence that their foreign receivables were protected. Finally, export credit insurance has a multiplier effect. Expanding into new markets provided new opportunities and growth for Multi Fruit and for the hundreds of growers, packers, freight handlers and other partners in their supply chain across the country.
Learn More
Download the 9-page Guide to Export Credit Insurance for a step-by-step explanation of how export credit insurance works and read how one small business manufacturer and a California-based network of fruit and vegetable growers, packers and shippers used EXIM Bank solutions to grow their companies’ through exporting:
