Making international trade possible

Business owners gathered at the Mennonite Heritage Village on Nov. 22 to listen to the Trade Commissioner Service explain how they can help local businesses trade internationally.

The free service which helps Canadian businesses expand nationally and internationally was familiar to some who already take advantage of their skills, and their thankfulness and admiration for the benefits was clearly expressed.

That admiration went both ways, according to Alexandre Cote, the regional director for Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Describing Steinbach and area businesses as “super dynamic” he said they benefit from a diversity of talent, are willing to try new strategies and have a strong support network including Steinbach Economic Development, the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce and local decision makers.

“They don’t hesitate to work with us and connect with our trade commissioners that are all over the world,” he said.

The Trade Commissioner Service provides market insights, training and support, funding, trade missions and events, export guidance and problem resolution.

They have 183 embassies around the world with a team of close to 1,300 people at work on behalf of Canadian business.

When that is coupled with a community that supports its businesses and a business community that is willing to innovate, Cote said it’s inevitable that success will follow.

“When you have all those pieces together and they’re working with us and we adopt a team approach, obviously you can only be successful,” he said.

One in six Canadian businesses is tied to international trade, he added.

Melissa Funk and her mother Candice Cancade are two of the owners of Lynn & Liana Design, a Steinbach based company that creates and sells handmade resin accented cheeseboards and serving trays.

They spoke of their experience with the Trade Commissioner Services office when in 2022 they decided they wanted to expand sales to Dubai.

“We had no idea how to start,” Funk said.

They started with an email, and as they say the rest is history.

“Within a few months we ended up landing a deal with a major retailer in the Middle East, in Dubai, that has probably 30 to 40 locations across the UAE (United Arab Emirates),” she said. “We just sent three pallets of our cheeseboards overseas, doing that for the first time ever all because the Trade Commissioner Service helped us coordinate different relationships and Zoom meetings and doing more introductions.”

Funk said the help is something others should take advantage of.

“It’s a free service where you can get connected with people who are so passionate about helping you,” she said.

Cancade agreed, recalling a time she spent in London trying to market their product.

“I was literally over there without resources, and he was my resource,” she said of the local trade commissioner. “The assistance was invaluable just having that connection, having someone at the other end of the phone who knows the area, who knows how to help you, who can give you the answers, because that is their community.”

The Trade Commissioner Services office offers a variety of programs and funding.

More information can be found at www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca.