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Export Readiness | Exporting Food Products | Export Documentation | Export Training | Export Regulation Changes | Export Service Providers
Export Readiness
- Alberta Business Link - has offices in Edmonton and Calgary. They provide information and advice to companies from start-up to exporting. They also provide training to businesses on various topics including Beyond Borders USA, which includes a visit to the Coutts/Sweetgrass border crossing.
- Export Guides and Tools (Canada Business) - From developing an export plan to delivering your goods, you can find it here. Go to: Exporting and see the main headings:
- Getting Started - Export readiness, export plan, financing, guides and tools
- Market Research - Market reports, trade map, statistics, business opportunities
- Accessing your Market - Market entry strategies, marketing strategies, exporting a service, delivering goods
- Laws, Regulations, and Permits - Permits for regulated goods, business number, reporting exports, customs tariffs and HS codes
- Additional Sources of Information - Training programs, e-business, newsletters and magazinesFind export guides and tools for information during the various stages of exporting.
Verified August 2008
- Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting 2008 (Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada) - This guide is a great tool for companies preparing to export. It covers the entire process of exporting, from the time a company starts thinking about exporting until the time it’s paid for delivery of goods or services. It’s available both online and in hard copy, and the first chapter will help SMEs understand how to lay the foundation of an export venture.
- Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) - BDC is a financial institution wholly owned by the government of Canada. BDC plays a leadership role in delivering financial, investment and consulting services to Canadian small businesses. Visit the International Markets Section for articles on:
- Battling the invisible competitor
- Reducing risk in the global market
- Your export checklist
- Devising an export plan
- Entering a foreign market
- Export marketing: where to begin
- Options and credit practices in export financing
- Exporting under a fluctuating dollar
- Gearing up for international markets
- Doing business in emerging markets
- Practical, hands-on advice on exporting
- The power of alliances
- Responding to Unsolicited International Orders (Canada Business) - Although not targeted at food exporters, this article provides some useful tips to consider when responding to an inquiry. It details eight steps recommended to respond.
Step 1: Conduct Internal Research
Step 2: Conduct Market Research
Step 3: Calculate Costs
Step 4: Write a Quotation
Step 5: Determine Transaction Viability
Step 6: Begin Negotiations
Step 7: Create a Contract
Step 8: Fulfill the Order
If you are not interested in receiving inquiries from international buyers, be sure that your website is clear on the markets your company serves. It could save you some time.
- Transparency International - 2008 Corruption Index - Corrupt practices are more common in some countries than in others. Before doing business in a particular market, an exporting company should try to assess the level of corruption it’s likely to encounter. Transparency International (TI), the largest international NGO dedicated to monitoring and reporting on global corruption, can assist. Every year, TI publishes its Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks the world’s countries according to the perceived level of their corruption in demanding bribes.
- Virtual Trade Commissioner - Free registration puts you in touch with the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service across Canada and around the world. Benefits include:
- Market and sector specific information
- Business leads and news
- On-line service delivery
- Information about your company available to Trade Commissioners abroad
- Understanding Incoterms - International Commerical Terms - (International Chamber of Commerce) - Incoterms are standard trade definitions most commonly used in international sales contracts. Devised and published by the International Chamber of Commerce, they are at the heart of world trade. Among the best known Incoterms are EXW (Ex works), FOB (Free on Board), and CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight).
- Incoterms and Export Costing Worksheet - This is a part of a series on exporting. The costing worksheet starting on page 5 goes through the export costing process using four of the most common incoterms.
Exporting Food Products
- About Electronic Data Interchange (pdf) - 2009/10 - Alberta suppliers wanting to sell to larger retailers may be required to use EDI to become a vendor. They may choose to purchase software to enable them to use EDI or may prefer to contract a service provider. Read more.
- Presentation - Exporting Food Products (pdf) - 2009/10 - This presentation was delivered at a brown bag seminar at the Business Link as a videoconference delivered throughout Alberta.
- Brokers and Distributors (pdf) - 2009/06 - This fact sheet includes information on partner profiling and selection, working with your partner, and elements of a good partnership.
- Be Prepared Financially (pdf) - 2009/05 - This fact sheet outlines some of the costs to enter an export market
- Be Prepared for the Buyer Meeting (pdf) - 2009/05 - This fact sheet provides tips on what to take, making your presentation, and questions that buyers may ask
Export Documentation
- Exporting Goods from Canada (Canadian Border Services Association) - This site provides details on export reporting requirements and links to:
- Canadian Harmonized System (HS) Codes for Export Classification
- Export Documentation
- Publications and forms
- SME Enterprise Centre with information tailored to meet the border and trade information needs of small and medium-sized enterprises
- Requirements from other departments such as:
- D19-1-1 Food, Agricultural Commodities, Aquatic Commodities, and Agricultural Input
- D19-3-2 Exportation of Wheat and Barley Products
Verified June 2009
Export Training
- Forum for International Trade Training - FITT equips individuals and businesses with the practical skills they need to succeed in today´s competitive global marketplace. In Alberta, FITT is offered by: Academy of Learning (Edmonton), Mount Royal College (Calgary) and University of Lethbridge (Lethbridge). See the website for details.
- Food Beverage Canada - FBC assists agri-food exporters by providing companies with opportunities to learn about markets through outgoing missions. Companies benefit through partial subsidization of travel costs and group rates. Programs usually include an opportunity for booth space, a tour of food retailers, and meetings or briefings.
FBC - Export Mentorship Program - Participating companies will fill out an assessment questionnaire, and receive a detailed report on their market suitability. If companies decide to proceed with the program they will be assigned a mentor. All participation fees will be charged at 55% of actual costs. Currently, the are collecting names of Canadian agri-processing companies interested in participating in the program. To add your name to the list of interested parties, please contact: Karen Parker or Andrea Sawchuk at (780) 486-9679 or 1-800-493-9767 for more information
Export Regulation Changes
- Export Alert ! (Standards Council of Canada) - Export Alert! Notification Service provides notice of pending changes to trade-related regulations, as well as the opportunity to comment on proposed measures. In addition to monitoring regulatory developments from a range of countries, Export Alert! allows subscribers to monitor regulatory changes under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade and the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. Administrative features also allow users to track their requests, access full texts, and offers links to a number of related information resources.
Export Service Providers
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