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Texas
Agriculture Archive
December 5, 2003
'GO TEXAN' Partner
Program grants given
Twenty-seven projects designed to increase the sales of Texas agricultural products have been awarded matching fund grants through the Texas Department of Agriculture's GO TEXAN Partner Program, TDA announced recently.
"GOTEPP has been a success not just for participating companies but to the state as a whole," said Delane Caesar, assistant commissioner for Marketing and Promotions. "Last biennium's participants reported more than $8 million in sales increases, and we are excited to see new companies taking advantage of the program's numerous opportunities."
The combined cost of the first 27 approved projects is approximately $778,000, including the amount contributed by each grantee and the matching funds provided by GOTEPP. Promoted products include everything from farm-raised Texas shrimp, plants and wine to gourmet Texas foods and organic cotton.
GOTEPP is a matching funds program open to producers, commodity groups, cooperatives and small businesses that are members of GO TEXAN, TDA's unified campaign marketing Texas agricultural products. The program is designed to help leverage the dollars available to promote agricultural products grown and processed in Texas. Costs for approved projects are split evenly between the applicant and GOTEPP.
The GOTEPP Advisory Board awarded funding to the following recipients at its meeting Nov. 5. Project amounts include the total cost, including both the applicant's portion and the matching contribution from GOTEPP.
Austin Special Foods Company, Austin: $84,862 to promote the company's biscotti and cookies at trade shows, through in-store product demonstrations and displays and with a new Web site. Austin Special Foods Company purchases many of its ingredients from other Texas companies.
Buddy's Natural Chicken, Gonzales: $131,706 to attend a trade show, produce product packaging, point-of-purchase materials, brochures and truck graphics. All of Buddy's chickens are produced in Texas, have been raised on a special diet and have been minimally processed to produce a better flavor.
Cactus Lace LLC, San Marcos: $2,350 to promote its line of jellies and salsas with new product labels, flyers, menus and banners. Cactus Lace products are all made by hand.
CANTER of Texas, Austin: $14,212 for brochures, a video, trade show attendance and advertising. CANTER of Texas' mission is to assist in the resale of Texas ex-racehorses for other uses.
Cap-Rock Winery, Lubbock: $58,272 to promote its award winning Texas wines through magazine and newspaper advertisements. Grapes used in Cap-Rock's wines are all grown in the Lubbock area.
Chamblee's Rose Nursery, Tyler: $20,075 to attend three trade shows, place print advertisements and to print a catalog promoting its locally grown David Austin English roses.
Chappell Hill Sausage, Chapp-ell Hill: $29,400 for in-store product demonstrations and related printed materials. Chappell Hill Sausage is family owned and operated and produces many varieties of smoked sausage, bacon, summer sausage and honey glazed ham.
Cheesemakers Inc., Cleveland: $15,420 to promote its Texas goat cheeses and Mexican cheeses through posters, in-store product demonstrations, point-of-purchase materials and new product labels. All of the milk used in Cheesemakers' products is purchased from Texas dairy farmers.
Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, Llano: $26,400 for nationwide print advertisements promoting the company's barbecued beef, poultry and pork. Cooper's has expanded its operations and now also sells through mail order, wholesale and the Internet.
Cotton Plus Inc. dba Organics for Massage, O'Donnell: $2,147 to print informational hang tags and an advertisement in "Massage Today." Cotton Plus uses organic cotton to produce table coverings, pads, cradle covers and other accessories used by massage therapists.
D&T Farm Fresh Shrimp, Imperial: $15,514 for printing posters, brochures, flyers, direct mail pieces, radio advertising and print advertising. D&T is a family owned shrimp farm in West Texas that currently produces about 60,000 pounds of shrimp annually.
Dolores Unique Designs, Camp Wood: $12,000 to promote its custom made apparel at trade shows and fashion shows and through print advertising and brochures. Dolores Vernor has created mohair garments worn by many Texas celebrities.
Durham-Ellis Pecan Company, Comanche: $51,186 to promote the company's pecans to consumers through new product packaging and store display units. Durham-Ellis has been in business for more than 70 years, and all its pecans are grown, shelled and packaged in Texas.
Eilenberger's Bakery, Palestine: $55,298 for printing catalogs, post cards and brochures and to update the company's Web site. The bakery was founded in 1898 and today ships products around the world. Eilenberger's purchases many of its ingredients from Texas producers.
Haak Vineyard & Winery, Santa Fe: $32,880 to promote awareness of the company's wine and winery through billboards and brochures. All grapes used in Haak wines are grown in various locations throughout Texas.
Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Bryan: $43,292 for print advertising to promote Messina's Hof's wine, food products and bed and breakfast. Ninety percent of the grapes used in Messina Hof's wines are grown in Texas.
Mesquite and Hardwood Milling Designs, Burnet: $33,898 to promote the company and its mesquite products at two trade shows. Mesquite and Hardwood Milling Designs produces wood flooring, butcher block surfaces, log sinks, doors and other products from Texas-grown mesquite.
Punkin Day Festival Committee, Floydada: $1,440 for street banners to promote the Punkin Day Festival. Floyd County farmers are a leading producer of pumpkins in Texas.
Shudde Ranch Beef, Sabinal: $8,607 to design and print brochures and postcards, and participate in product demonstrations, trade shows and advertising. Shudde Ranch has been owned and operated by the Shudde family for more than 100 years and raises grass-fed Texas Longhorns.
Smith's Greenhouses Inc. dba Smith's Gardentown Farms, Wichita Falls: $17,521 for newspaper advertising and new product brochures. This project is designed to promote Smith's "Texoma-tested" bedding plants and its nursery operation.
Spencer's Food Company Inc., Paris: $17,432 for photography, design and printing of brochures and trade show attendance. The comp-any's product, the "Rojo Pepper," is a chicken jalapeno dish created in the family's restaurant.
Strube Packing Company, Rowena: $30,918 to promote its goat and lamb products through trade shows and in-store demos and to develop a new Web site. Strube Packing Company purchases more than 95 percent of its livestock from Texas ranchers.
Texas Nursery & Landscape Association, Austin: $6,000 to promote the Texas Superstar "Knockout" Rose through a product flyer distributed to nurseries and other businesses participating in the "Knockout" Rose promotional campaign.
Texas Ostrich Association, Navasota: $5,010 to promote Texas ostrich meat to restaurant owners at the Texas Restaurant Association's Southwest Foodservice Expo. There are currently 29 members of the association and an estimated 100 other ostrich producers in Texas.
Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association, Grapevine: $24,540 for invitations, newsletters, brochures, posters and tickets to promote its "Uncorking Texas" events that showcase Texas wineries and their wines.
Trophenia's Fine Foods LLC, Dallas: $9,893 to promote the company's line of gourmet sauces through trade show attendance, new labels, a Web site and a new brochure. The company was founded in 1996, and its sauces are currently sold at Mercado Gift Shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
White Acres Farm, San Antonio: $26,378 for new product labels, a Web site and to attend four trade shows. White Acres Farms produces a wide range of products including jams, jellies, a drink mix, olive oil, pressed-flower stationery, lavender oils and lip balm.
The next GOTEPP Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for March 2004. The deadline for proposals will be Jan. 20, 2004. For information on applying for GOTEPP funding or to receive a GOTEPP information packet, call the TDA at 1-877-99GOTEX or 1-877-994-6839. Send inquiries to Debbie Wall, funding coordinator for Marketing and Promotion, Texas Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 12847, Austin, TX 78711. Information is also available at the GO TEXAN Web site at www.gotexan.org.
