SAVANNAH, GA, USA – Over the past few years, Savannah Bee Company, a Savannah-based manufacturer of pure honey and all-natural, organic body care products, has been expanding their product line and exploring international markets. Last year the company partnered with World Trade Center Savannah in an effort to leverage connections to the more than 330 World Trade Centers licensed globally and to access World Trade Center Savannah trade services and research.

Since their initial exploration, the company has made great headway with various international leads and received valuable public recognition. While attending their first international trade show, the National Products Expo, in London, they won best new product award. Soon after, they were featured in the May issue of Georgia Trend magazine. Ted Dennard, founder, president and head beekeeper of the company was quoted saying that Savannah Bee is pursuing leads in Spain, England, South Korea and China. He also discussed the lessons learned along the way and the support from key organizations that has led to the forward movement of their international sales goals.

With the exploration of international markets comes a great deal of planning and due diligence, including the identification of target markets and recognition of country-specific import/export guidelines and regulations. Savannah Bee reached a speed bump in preparing their product for export into the European Union (EU) when they learned that each label must contain a phone number and address within the EU. The company called upon WTC Savannah who was able to connect Savannah Bee with World Trade Center Marseille Provence in France. WTC Marseille Provence was able to provide the company with all the necessary services needed to begin exporting to the EU.

According to Kristen Crawley, Savannah Bee Sales Director, International Sales, the connection proved to be of great value to their exporting goals. “I can say with confidence that Savannah Bee’s partnership with World Trade Center Savannah has been an integral piece of our international expansion. We are able to move quickly into the European Union because of our partnership.”

For additional information on this article, please contact Kathleen Henry, Manger of Trade Services and Research at WTC Savannah, at khenry@wtcsavannah.org.

PHOTO (L-R): Maria Lancaster, Executive Vice President of Savannah Bee Company and Kristen Crawley, Sales Director, International Sales of Savannah Bee Company at the Natural Products Expo in London, UK