Diversifying markets

How to decide where to find your next international customer

Choosing a new market commits leadership time, budget and commercial capacity. For an agribusiness company expanding internationally from any home market, the decision starts with identifying where its offering can address a specific need and support a profitable business.

An overseas inquiry can open a conversation. A country with growing imports may warrant research. Turning those signals into a priority requires assessing demand, market access, sales channels and delivery capabilities before launching a campaign or attending a trade show.

Read the context at the right level

The WTO’s World Trade Report 2026 notes that low- and middle-income economies increased their share of global trade from 23% in 1995 to 45% in 2024.

This shift helps broaden the opportunity map. A company’s specific opportunity requires analysis at a different level: product, segment, buyer and entry conditions. Examine several periods and distinguish price movements from changes in volume. An expanding economy does not, on its own, demonstrate that accessible demand exists for your particular offering.

Assess the demand you can serve

The first question is who would buy and for what purpose. An animal nutrition business, a plant genetics supplier and a food exporter need to understand different purchasing decisions, even when considering the same country.

Examine the alternatives that customers currently use, the problem they still need to solve and the evidence they would require to consider a new supplier. Trade data helps establish market scale; interviews with buyers and specialists help test whether your proposition fits. The result should be a specific hypothesis about a segment, beyond a general country profile.

Confirm access and commercial viability

Before committing to an entry date, validate the requirements applicable to your product with the relevant authorities and specialists. Depending on the case, these may involve registrations, approvals, labeling or sanitary requirements. Logistics, support, financing and channel margins also belong in the calculation.

The European Commission explains that tariff preferences depend on compliance with the relevant agreement’s rules of origin. A trade announcement therefore needs an assessment specific to your transaction.

Work with a conservative scenario. If the business depends on costs that remain unknown or an unconfirmed approval timeline, make that uncertainty visible in the decision. Identify who will resolve each open question before commercial commitments are made.

Understand how you will reach the buyer

The right distributor should be able to develop the category and serve your target customer. Assess its actual coverage, technical capabilities, portfolio and willingness to invest time in a new offering.

Communication needs to support that journey. A technical buyer may require protocols and evidence; a commercial manager may need arguments about differentiation and product turnover. Your website, presentations and content should address those questions in the market’s language and context. Translating the catalog is only part of the work.

Choose a priority you can sustain

We recommend comparing a small number of destinations against the same four criteria: verifiable demand, feasible access, suitable channels and internal capabilities. Each conclusion should identify what is known, what still needs confirmation and who will validate it. An unresolved essential requirement should remain visible regardless of an otherwise attractive score.

Then select an initial market and define a limited commercial test: target segment, owners, budget and review period. Assess conversations with relevant buyers, objections, qualified opportunities and expected margins. New contacts are useful when they help determine the next step. Agree in advance what would justify expanding the effort or changing direction.

At AgenciaAgro, we connect market intelligence, positioning and specialist communication to support this stage of growth. We help turn commercial priorities into a clear proposition and relevant tools for each audience.

Is your company assessing new markets? Let’s discuss where to focus your next step and how to prepare your brand for it.