US market entry for Latin American brands.
A product that wins in Bogota, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Lima or San Jose has already survived demanding customers, volatile currencies and thin margins.
The United States asks for something different: a US way to get paid, a storefront and Amazon listing that read as native, compliance files that importers and retailers will check, and a plan for buyers who have never heard of your country's category leaders. Theory Road is an independent growth firm based in the Austin metro that has worked with South American companies entering the US. We run the commercial launch, from market read and pricing to Amazon US, paid media, retail and B2B pipeline, and we coordinate the entity, tax, customs and logistics work with your attorneys, accountants and brokers.
Questions this page answers
- How do I sell in the US from Latin America?
- Can a Colombian or Chilean company sell on Amazon US?
- Is the US Hispanic market the right place to start?
- What does the FDA require for Latin American food exports?
- How do we get paid by US customers?
- How do software companies from Latin America sell to US businesses?
Step 1 of 2
How can we help you get found?
Next: name, email and budget. That’s it.
What the US market asks of you.
The US rewards Latin American companies that treat it as a separate market, not a bigger version of home. Buyers expect English-first product pages, US pricing logic, fast domestic delivery and reviews from other Americans. Retail and B2B buyers expect a US contact, US terms and paperwork that matches US rules. The upside is real: shared time zones with the East and Central US, cultural fluency with tens of millions of Spanish-speaking consumers, and categories like coffee, fruit, wine, textiles and software where Latin American origin already carries credibility.
What usually goes wrong starts with money and assumptions. Founders launch before they can accept US payments cleanly, then lose weeks to bank and processor reviews. They treat the Hispanic market as one audience, when a Colombian brand, a Mexican American family in San Antonio and a Puerto Rican buyer in Orlando respond to different cues. Food exporters ship before FDA facility registration, labeling and the importer's verification duties are in order. Others price in dollars from a home cost sheet and forget duties, freight, Amazon fees and US sales tax.
We start with a market read that sizes the category, the competitors and the realistic first audience, Hispanic or not, and a landed-cost pricing model your accountant and customs broker can check. Then we build the US storefront and Amazon US presence, launch paid search and social in sequence, and decide early whether retail or B2B buyers belong in year one. Your advisors own the entity, bank account, tax and customs filings; we keep a shared checklist so marketing never launches ahead of them. Weekly reporting ties spend to orders, leads and margin.
- Weeks 1 to 4Market read and landed-cost pricingCategory size, competitors, first audience, and a price that survives duties, freight, fees and sales tax, checked by your advisors.
- Weeks 3 to 8Entity, payments and compliance checklistYour attorney, accountant and customs broker handle filings; we track dependencies so no launch step runs ahead of them.
- Weeks 6 to 12US storefront and Amazon listingsEnglish-first product pages, US photography and claims review, Brand Registry once your trademark application is filed.
- Months 3 to 5Paid search, social and creatorsStart with high-intent search and Amazon ads, then add social and creator content matched to the audiences that convert.
- Months 5 to 9Retail, distribution or B2B pipelinePitch regional grocers, specialty retail, distributors or US business buyers once sell-through data supports the conversation.
- OngoingReporting and scale decisionsWeekly numbers on orders, leads, contribution margin and inventory, with a clear call on where the next dollar goes.
Where US launches stall.
Getting paid in dollars
Many US payment processors and marketplaces expect a US entity, a US bank account and a US tax ID. Plan that setup with your attorney and accountant before launch, because account reviews can take weeks and stall paid media.
One Hispanic market is a myth
US Hispanic consumers differ by country of origin, generation, region and language preference. Spanish-only creative often misses bilingual and English-dominant buyers, and most products also need to win non-Hispanic customers to scale.
Food and agriculture paperwork
Coffee, cacao, fruit, superfoods and sauces face FDA facility registration, prior notice for shipments, US labeling and importer verification duties. A missing step can hold a container at the port and burn the launch window.
Credibility without US history
US buyers and retailers look for reviews, a US address or contact, familiar payment options and clear returns. A brand that is famous in Lima or Medellin starts at zero in Houston unless the storefront earns trust quickly.
What we run for you.
US market read
Category demand, competitor pricing, search behavior and the realistic first customer, including where the Hispanic market helps and where a general-market audience is the bigger prize.
Pricing and positioning
A US price built from landed cost, fees and margin targets, plus positioning that explains your origin as a reason to buy rather than a curiosity.
US storefront and Amazon US
A Shopify or similar store built for US checkout habits, and an Amazon US account with listings, A+ content, Brand Registry and advertising run by the same team.
Paid media and search
Google, Amazon and Meta campaigns in English and, where the data supports it, Spanish, measured on orders and margin rather than clicks.
Retail and B2B pipeline
Buyer lists, sell sheets, distributor outreach and a CRM for US wholesale, foodservice or business customers, including software companies selling to US teams.
Advisor coordination
One launch checklist shared with your attorney, accountant, customs broker and logistics provider, so entity, tax, import and inventory steps land before marketing goes live.
How US demand gets built.
US rules to plan for.
FDA food rules.
Food facilities register with FDA and need a US agent, shipments need prior notice, and importers carry verification duties. Your regulatory consultant and customs broker own this, at the time of writing.
Duties and de minimis.
The US suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries from August 29, 2025. Your customs broker should confirm tariff classification and current duties before you price.
Trademarks and Brand Registry.
Foreign-domiciled applicants at the USPTO must use a US-licensed attorney. Amazon Brand Registry needs a registered or pending trademark, so file early with counsel.
Sales tax nexus.
There is no federal VAT. States set sales tax, and economic nexus can reach foreign sellers. Your US accountant decides where you register and collect.
Claims and labeling.
FTC rules on claims, reviews and endorsements apply to US ads, and CBP requires country of origin marking. We review marketing claims; your attorney signs off on legal questions.
A good fit
- Latin American consumer brands with proven demand at home, stable supply and the budget to fund at least two quarters in the US.
- Food, coffee, beauty and fashion companies ready to put FDA, labeling and trademark work in the hands of qualified advisors.
- Software and services firms that can sell in English and want to use shared time zones with US clients as an advantage.
- Founders who want one team running storefront, Amazon, paid media and pipeline while their advisors handle entity, tax and customs.
Probably not a fit
- Companies looking for someone to form their US entity, file taxes or clear customs; we coordinate those advisors, we do not replace them.
- Brands that want to test the US with a few hundred dollars and no inventory plan beyond a single shipment.
Platforms and categories we launch into.
Reading before a US launch.
- E-commerce · Takeaway
A company in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia or most other Latin American countries can register an Amazon.com seller account without a US company, as long as its identity, address and bank documents match exactly.
E-commerce · 11 min read
Selling on Amazon US From Mexico, Brazil and Latin America.
A practical guide for Latin American founders selling on Amazon.com: how registration and payments work from Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, the tax interview, US trademarks and Brand Registry, getting stock into FBA, and a first 90 days plan.
Read - E-commerce · Takeaway
FDA food facility registration is required for most foreign facilities that make, pack or hold food for the US market, and every foreign facility must name a US agent.
E-commerce · 10 min read
FDA Food Facility Registration for Foreign Food Brands.
A marketing lead's guide to FDA food facility registration: what the registration covers, what it does not, who owns each piece, and how compliant labels and claims turn into a US launch plan.
Read - Agency Guide · Takeaway
A foreign founder can own a US LLC or corporation without living in the US, but the right structure depends on home-country tax rules and should be chosen with an attorney and an accountant in both countries.
Agency Guide · 11 min read
US LLC for Non-Residents: A Foreign Founder's Setup Checklist.
A commercial checklist for foreign founders setting up a US company: why brands form one, the common structures at a high level, and the order of EIN, bank, sales tax and insurance that keeps a US launch on schedule.
Read
Questions from founders abroad.
- How do I sell in the US from Latin America?
- Most companies need four things in place: a way to get paid in dollars, compliant product and labels, a US storefront or Amazon listing, and a landed-cost price. Your attorney, accountant and customs broker handle the entity, tax and import side. We run the commercial side: market read, pricing, storefront, Amazon US, paid media and retail or B2B pipeline, with one checklist so the pieces land in the right order.
- Can a Colombian or Chilean company sell on Amazon US?
- Yes, Amazon allows sellers from many countries to register for its US store, subject to identity and bank verification and current eligibility rules, which you should confirm for your country. Brand Registry requires a registered or pending trademark from an eligible office. We run account setup support, listings, A+ content, advertising and inventory planning, and we have our own Amazon Professional Seller account with Brand Registry.
- Is the US Hispanic market the right place to start?
- Sometimes. It can be a strong beachhead when your brand already means something to a diaspora community or your category is culturally specific. But US Hispanic consumers differ by origin, region, generation and language preference, and many shop in English. Most brands also need non-Hispanic buyers to reach scale. We test both audiences early and let conversion data decide where budget goes.
- What does the FDA require for Latin American food exports?
- At the time of writing, food facilities register with FDA and renew in every even-numbered year, foreign facilities name a US agent, shipments need prior notice, and US importers have Foreign Supplier Verification Program duties. Labels must meet US format rules. A regulatory consultant and your customs broker should own this work; we make sure packaging, claims and listings match what they approve.
- How do we get paid by US customers?
- Most US payment processors and marketplaces expect a US entity, a US bank account and a US tax ID, and review times vary. Your attorney and accountant should set this up and advise on currency conversion and repatriating funds. We plan the launch calendar around those approvals so ads do not run before checkout works.
- How do software companies from Latin America sell to US businesses?
- They win on time zone overlap, strong engineering and responsive service, but US buyers still want English-first positioning, US case logic, clear pricing and security answers. We build the website, search and LinkedIn programs, outbound sequences and a CRM pipeline aimed at a defined US buyer, and report on qualified meetings and revenue.
Let’s plan your US launch.
A short note on where the business is and where it needs to go. A senior partner replies within one business day.