Winters companies part of Cuba trade mission

Representatives from two Winters companies will board a plane to Cuba on Monday as part of a state-led agricultural trade mission.

The companies, Mariani Nut Co. and Sierra Orchards, are among 10 chosen by the state Department of Food and Agriculture for "their commitment to international trade and their ability to meet the demands of the Cuban market," according to state agriculture spokesman Steve Lyle.

The other companies on the list include cheese, fig and lemon producers. Representatives from the California Farm Bureau Federation will also take part in the Jan. 21-24 visit, led by California Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura.

Cuba imports an estimated $180 million worth of agriculture products every year, the Department of Food and Agriculture estimates. In 2006, just 0.4 percent - or $735,000 worth - of those products were imported from California, the department said.

If successful, trade missions such as next week's trip will leverage business opportunities and increase California's share of exports to Cuba, organizers said.

"Our experience has been that consumers, in every country we have visited, want access to California products," Kawamura said in a statement Wednesday.

The companies represented on the trip are powerful players in the state agriculture scene, and the two from Winters have expanded their reach far beyond Yolo County.