Chinese platforms help US small businesses reach global markets

A long, dark vanilla bean drew a steady stream of visitors at an Alibaba event in Los Angeles, with some stopping to smell it and others picking it up for a closer look.

"It's a vanilla bean, a sweetest bean," Shana Gilbert, a representative of The Sweetest Bean, told China Daily.

Gilbert said the US-based company, which sells through Alibaba.com, works directly with producers in Uganda, where vanilla beans are selected and cured before being shipped to Colorado for processing and distribution. For customers in Asia, the company can ship directly from Uganda, reducing the number of intermediaries in the supply chain.

The company was among more than 200 exhibiting businesses at CoCreate 2026, Alibaba.com's annual event for entrepreneurs and small businesses held in Los Angeles last week. The gathering brought together suppliers, e-commerce sellers, service providers and entrepreneurs for product showcases, business matchmaking and the US final of the CoCreate Pitch competition.

Chinese digital platforms that once focused largely on connecting overseas buyers with factories in China are increasingly positioning themselves as infrastructure for entrepreneurs from different countries to source products, manage suppliers, build brands and run businesses with artificial intelligence.

This shift was visible among American businesses at the event.

Twilla Brooks, representing Kansas-based artisan skincare brand Fire Lake Soapery, said Alibaba.com invited the company to showcase its products after it had developed a strong wholesale presence elsewhere.

"We're top rated on the B2B wholesale platform Faire. Alibaba came to us and invited us to showcase our clean, pure-ingredient products," Brooks said.

She said the company sells soap to small businesses, hotels and stores and hopes Alibaba.com can help it reach more wholesale customers.

For many US entrepreneurs, China remains an important part of that global commerce network.

Nick Milani, an e-commerce entrepreneur who works with brands on Amazon, said Alibaba.com helped him build a children's products business beginning in 2018 by connecting him with manufacturers in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

"I can find a sourcing agent who can help me find high-quality manufacturers," Milani said. "It was the perfect thing for me not to have to travel to Asia."

He said the business generated about $150,000 in revenue during its first year, with products sold through Amazon.