LSU Vice President for Agriculture Bill Richardson speaks to a group of Latin American entrepreneurs, who recently visited the LSU AgCenter for a day of workshops on topics including economics, food safety, aquaculture and international agriculture issues. Photo by Ivana Tregenza

News Release Distributed 01/26/15

BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter hosted workshops for entrepreneurs from several Latin American food and agriculture companies during their visit to Baton Rouge on Jan. 12-23.

The entrepreneurs, who are from Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico, were at LSU as part of La Idea, a U.S. Agency for International Development-funded mentoring program that encourages economic development and innovation in Latin America.

LSU’s Louisiana Business and Technology Center coordinated the visit, which included meetings with local organizations and workshops on how to do business with American companies.

On Jan. 20, the group attended a full day of workshops led by AgCenter faculty on topics including economics, food safety, aquaculture and international agriculture issues. They also met with administrators and toured the AgCenter Food Incubator and Dairy Store.

Ivana Tregenza, AgCenter International Programs coordinator, said the AgCenter has worked with a number of universities in Latin America. Strengthening relationships between those countries and Louisiana, which all have vibrant agriculture economies, is a constant priority.

“It’s not one-sided,” Tregenza said. “We learn about their industry as much as they learn about us.”

International Programs Director David Picha and Aquaculture Research Station professor Greg Lutz gave their presentations in Spanish.

“You could see on their faces that the barriers were gone,” Tregenza said. “It brought everyone one step closer.”

LBTC Executive Director Charlie D’Agostino said in a news release that coming to Louisiana, which is known for its cuisine, and working with the AgCenter Food Incubator was a “perfect fit” for the entrepreneurs. They have already established themselves as leaders in the food and agriculture sector at home, he said, but the training at LSU gives them tools to achieve even more.

“The LBTC staff, LSU faculty and local business leaders will introduce these visitors to business operations in the U.S., as well as developing contacts to facilitate their investments and tap into the U.S. markets,” D’Agostino said.

Three months of virtual training will follow the entrepreneurs’ stay at LSU.