Special crops exporters should have access to a made-in-Canada brand within the next 12 months.
Industry representatives are developing a national branding strategy to play up product attributes like quality, reliability and trustworthiness.
It is part of an agriculture-wide initiative to boost Canada’s reputation as a supplier of safe and superior products.
In 2003 the federal government unveiled the $26 million Canadian Agriculture and Food International program to help commodity groups develop their own industry brands.
After a slow start, that work is now in full swing, said Francois Catellier, executive director of the Canadian Special Crops Association.
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“I know it’s difficult to appreciate the importance in the value of branding when you’re going through a tough, tough year like we are this year,” said Catellier.
“But at the end of the day branding is all about positioning ourselves for the long term and I’m convinced that we’re going to see some better times for this industry.”
The strategy fits with other efforts the trade association has undertaken to enhance its reputation with international buyers such as adopting a new code of conduct earlier this year.
And it is being designed to fit with traditional marketing efforts.
“It will not replace existing proprietary brands. This will be a generic sector brand that will hopefully complement what people are doing,” he said.
Bigger picture
The special crops brand is expected to work with a larger industry-wide brand being developed for all Canadian food exports.
That all-encompassing national brand should be ready to go by summer or fall, said Catellier. It will be followed by the commodity-specific brands. The special crops sector plans to have its strategy in place before the end of the government’s fiscal year, which is March 31, 2006.
Representatives at the special crops roundtable include producers, processors and traders from the pulse, mustard, canaryseed, buckwheat and herb and spice sectors as well as provincial and federal government officials from a variety of departments.
The group has been attempting to devise a brand promise for nearly two years but due to the size of the committee consensus has been difficult to achieve.
“It’s like trying to turn a huge vessel in a port,” said Catellier.
Lately the group has been making headway on the issue.
The committee has launched a benchmarking study to measure how Canada’s special crops stack up to the competition in international markets. It is also conducting a consumer preference survey to identify emerging consumer trends such as tackling problems related to obesity and diabetes.
Results from both studies will help guide the committee in crafting a suitable brand promise by next spring.
