US Tariffs: How to Diversify Food and Beverage Exports

Published by

David Argüello

CEO of Hurus AI · LinkedIn

Spanish food and beverage exports reached €52,564 million in 2025, up 2.9% in value, according to FIAB. Sales to the United States fell 9.6% because of tariffs. France, Italy, Portugal and Germany made up the difference. Diversifying requires choosing a market, finding a distributor and opening conversations with specific buyers.

What happened in 2025

FIAB's annual Economic Report, presented at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, puts exports at €52,564 million. It is the best figure on record: +2.9% in value and +4.8% in volume. Spain is Europe's fourth-largest exporter and the world's seventh, according to the federation itself.

The exception is the United States. Sales there dropped 9.6% in 2025 because of the tariff conflict. FIAB expects the decline to continue in 2026, although it hopes it will moderate after a US court ruling against the tariffs.

Which markets made up the difference

FIAB cites France, Italy, Portugal and Germany as markets where Spain consolidated its presence in 2025. The press consulted gives no country-level figures for that year. For reference, in 2023 the EU absorbed 58% of the sector's exports, and France, Portugal and Italy were the top three destinations.

The lesson is simple: nearby demand remains reliable. But entering a new market is not about sending samples. It is about someone sitting down with a distributor.

A four-step method

• Choose one or two markets. Not ten. Each market demands time, language and follow-up.
• Check access. Tariff, regulations, labeling and product requirements at destination. Your foreign trade advisor validates this, not an article.
• Identify who already distributes related products. Not every distributor: the ones that carry categories close to yours and no direct competitor.
• Open the conversation with a concrete reason. What makes you fit their portfolio now. A short opening, with context.

Common mistakes

• Spreading the effort across too many countries at once.
• Writing to the "purchasing department" with no name or job title.
• Sending the full catalog as a first message.
• Measuring by emails sent instead of by meetings with distributors that fit.

How to measure whether it works

Measure two things. First, meetings with distributors that fit, by market and by month. Second, how many move on to a sample or a proposal. If the first number is low, the problem is in who you write to or how you open. If the second is low, it is in the offer.

At Hurus we handle that first stretch: ultratargeting to choose who to write to, buying-moment detection to know when, and human outreach with judgment.

Frequently asked questions

How much have exports to the US fallen?

Spanish food and beverage sales to the United States fell 9.6% in 2025 because of the tariff conflict, according to FIAB. The federation expects the decline to continue in 2026, although it hopes it will moderate after a US court ruling against the tariffs.

Which markets made up for the drop?

According to FIAB, Spain consolidated its presence in 2025 in France, Italy, Portugal and Germany. Total exports were a record: €52,564 million, up 2.9% in value and 4.8% in volume. The press consulted gives no country-level figures for 2025.

How do I start diversifying?

Choose one or two markets, not ten. Check the tariff and product regulations, identify who distributes related products and open a conversation with that type of company. Measure by meetings with distributors that fit, not catalogs sent. Once the first market is running, repeat the method.

Sources: The Objective, May 19, 2026 (FIAB report); FIAB, March 14, 2024 for 2023 data.

Full guide: B2B prospecting for food and beverage manufacturers: 2026 guide

Last reviewed: October 18, 2026.