Costco shows interest in sourcing fruits and processed foods from Uzbekistan

Costco Wholesale has confirmed its readiness to cooperate with Uzbek exporters. The announcement was made during a visit to the United States by a delegation led by Bekhzod Mamatkulov, board chairman of the Uzbek diversified holding company BMB HOLDING.

During the visit, the delegation held talks with Ed Martin, head of sales and distribution at Costco Wholesale.

The sides reached an agreement to develop cooperation, particularly on organizational matters related to supplying the holding’s products, including deeply processed agricultural goods, fruits and vegetables, as well as saffron. Product samples were provided to the U.S. company for marketing purposes.

The parties also agreed to continue targeted efforts to develop practical mechanisms for cooperation with Costco Wholesale branches in the United States and other countries, and to hold additional negotiations in the future.

It was noted that initial talks with BMB HOLDING took place during a working visit to Uzbekistan in 2024 by Francesco De Natale, a member of the board of directors of the U.S. conglomerate. At that time, the holding’s export-oriented food products successfully passed the three-stage quality inspection required for sale in Costco Wholesale stores.

The first exports of high value-added agricultural and food products produced in Uzbekistan and fully compliant with international standards to the Costco Wholesale retail network are expected to play an important role in gradually securing a strong position in the highly competitive U.S. consumer market by increasing export volumes.