International Food Competitors Grow Exports with SBA STEP Support

Husband and wife team Damon and Lu Holter were both award-winning chefs in food competitions across the country when they started their company Croix Valley Foods. The successful business, which today makes 44 products including sauces, dry rubs, seasonings, and Bloody Mary flavor enhancers, has its roots in the Holter family’s steakhouse. In the restaurant, located in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, each meal was served a side of homemade steak sauce. After many requests from customers to have this sauce in their own homes, it eventually became the first product the Holters brought to the market in 2009.

Damon describes starting the business as a lightbulb moment, and that at the time of starting Croix Valley Foods, he was struggling personally and professionally. “It was a real rags to riches sort of story. I had to pull myself up by the bootstraps and try to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” he said. “I started my company in 100 square foot space in the back of a tiny little meat market in my hometown.” 

Solution

One of the largest contributors to their growth has been Croix Valley Foods’ expansion into exporting their goods. To gain the knowledge necessary to do so, they’ve utilized services offered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), including market searches and global trade ventures, which are funded through SBA’s STEP grant.

SBA and WEDC resources have helped Croix Valley Foods manage their growth, which Damon describes as their biggest challenge. “Luckily, there are a number of resources out there. I think people can find what they need and reach out to others that have done it before--that's what I did and that's been very successful.” After getting a COVID EIDL loan and the Paycheck Protection Program loan during the pandemic, they’re now receiving an SBA 504 loan.

Impact

Due to their participation in WEDC and SBA programs, Croix Valley Foods is currently marketing and exporting their products to Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Mexico. In less than five years, exports have grown from 5% to 17% of their total sales. As they’ve expanded their international presence, they’ve been able to sponsor barbeque teams in Canada and are the current title sponsor for the European Steak Cookoff and the New Zealand Steak Cookoff.

Croix Valley Foods moved into a new 20,000 square foot facility built from the ground up with the support of an SBA loan. At the facility, they also co-pack and export over 250 canned food products for other small businesses. “We specialize in small batch food production for folks that have a recipe for, let’s say, Grandma's spaghetti sauce that they want to bring to market,” said Damon. In this role, he gets to support and work with dozens of other small businesses.

“I always offer them the same advice,” Damon said. “It takes hard work and effort to be successful. There is nobody else that's going to be a bigger Champion for your business other than yourself. If you believe in what you're doing and you show others that you believe in what you're doing, I think that's the biggest success.”  Croix Valley Foods was selected as SBA Wisconsin’s 2023 Small Business Exporter of the Year.