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Home : Reports and Publications : Departmental Publications : Business Services for You

Celebrating Western Entrepreneurs

Micro Roaster Creates a Sustainable Niche

Aroma Specialty Coffee Roasters
Quathiaski Cove, British Columbia
www.aromacoffees.ca

Hélène Arsenault developed a business niche that offers steady, sustainable growth, despite a small-market location. She worked closely with the Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique since 2002 to overcome the challenges her location presented.

Since that time, Arsenault's sales volume has doubled and her products can now be found at 15 outlets in nearby communities like Campbell River and Courtenay.

Aroma Specialty Coffee Roasters is a micro roaster that slow roasts small batches of coffee to enhance and preserve the complex flavours of some of the finest beans from around the world.

Building Export Expertise

Superfly International Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta
www.superfly.ca

Janna Superstein decided it was time to extend her company's reach to include markets south of the border. She approached The Business Link to help make it happen. Based on its advice, she engaged a distributor that has made exports a significant portion of her sales.

The company, Superfly International Inc., began as a home-based business more than 25 years ago and has become Canada's leading manufacturer and distributor of fly fishing related products.

Now, with three years experience in partnership with her U.S. distributor, Superstein is building on her export success by taking on a bigger piece of the American retail market. Currently, she's finalizing a contract with a large retail chain that will dramatically increase her export sales.

Advice Has Entrepreneur Coming Back for More

Lee's Goldfish Hobbyist Aquarium / Martdirect Consulting
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
www.aquariumcanada.ca / www.martdirectconsulting.com

The advice Gang Lee and Rebecca Dong received from the Canada-Saskatchewan Business Service Centre not only helped their business succeed; it inspired Rebecca to create a second venture.

The pair originally sought research assistance and marketing advice for Lee's Goldfish Hobbyist Aquarium, which imports and breeds goldfish and tropical fish from China. Less than a year after opening, product capacity and sales volumes have doubled.

Rebecca was so impressed with the results, she approached Canada Business a second time, for help launching her own consulting business. Martdirect Consulting helps Canadian companies establish distributorships and locate suppliers in China, and provides advice to companies seeking export business in China.

Botanical Papers a Growing Business

Botanical PaperWorks
Winnipeg, Manitoba
www.botanicalpaperworks.com

When Heidi Reimer-Epp wanted to expand her successful papermaking business, she turned to the Women's Enterprise Centre for the loan she needed to make it possible. "The support from the Women's Centre allowed us to produce new designs and do our market research," said Reimer-Epp. "They were really great to work with."

Today, Botanical PaperWorks advertises its products in magazines like Martha Stewart Weddings and In Style Weddings, attracting international buyers to the company's online store. The company exports about 90 per cent of what it manufactures, the majority of that to the United States.

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