At this year’s Canada-in-Asia Conference (CIAC), a major theme was export diversification as relations between Canada and the US continue to be amarked by political tensions.
Against the political discord, Asia has emerged as a key target market for Canada.
“It’s a tremendously exciting opportunity. Whether it’s pulse crops, oilseed crops, or cereal crops, there are many economic opportunities for Canada to realise that would fit very well with this region,” said Tyler Groenveld, CEO, Protein Industries Canada (PIC).
“The time is now. Canada is ready and ripe to seize the opportunity. We just need this market to understand what we can do, and we need the people back in Canada to recognise these tremendous economic opportunities.”
Speaking on a panel, Groenveld said that while Canada produces abundant crops, there is insufficient international awareness of what it can offer.
“We’re known to produce a very abundant, reliable crop. But I think that, you know, in a market like this, we said, is there enough brand identity for Canada? I don’t think there’s enough identity and awareness of what we grow.”
Kelvin Ng of Green Bridge Partners agreed, noting that Canada struggles with marketing itself effectively. “If you don’t know how to market your products… You don’t stand a chance.”
He emphasised the importance of strong storytelling and downstream engagement to build a strong brand for Canada.
“You need to start developing the narrative of how that feeds the world, whether it’s livestock, which is a big part of the business. Take wheat alone which is massive. [In Asia] we eat a lot of carbs, bread, and bakery products… Moving from simply supplying an ingredient to highlighting that, for example, the bakery people line up for uses Canadian wheat, is important. You need to tell that story.”
Ng added that Canadian firms must take control of their downstream presence, stop relying on middlemen, and build direct consumer-facing relationships in Asia to secure long-term relevance.
“This is how you make a long-term, sustained impact, create change, and leave a legacy. The next generation in Asia will look at Canadian products and say, ‘Oh wow, I grew up with that.’ That’s what you want to embed – in their minds and in their stomachs.”
Scott Moore, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Export Development Canada (EDC), added that Canadians must advocate more assertively for what they excel at.
“We need to be less ‘Canadian’ – that means moving beyond quiet confidence and being loudly confident. We need to start proudly telling people how good we are at what we do, and that’s something we really need to get better at.”
Opportunities beyond food
Groenveld said the country must shift from being perceived as a reliable commodity producer to being recognised as a value-added partner.
“We’ve a long history of producing commodities, shipping them abroad to feed a hungry world, but there’s scalable and economic opportunities from creating more incremental value from these crops.”
Ng added that Canada has not leveraged high‑value opportunities, especially in sectors like seafood, where by‑products such as shells could be transformed into lucrative cosmetic or pharmaceutical ingredients.
“[Canada] produces so much lobsters and shellfish, but a lot of those shells, are not valorisef to a higher value. Chitosan is one example which can be used in pharmaceuticals or skin care.”
By going beyond traditional food categories, companies will attract investors who seek higher margins and faster returns.
“Don’t just look at food, because the return on investment of food, unfortunately, is very long. VCs, like ourselves are pretty hard on these companies that we invest in, and rightfully so. But if you have a company that’s taking waste valorisation and upscaling it to things like supplying collagen, for example. I mean, you’ll have a queue of people lining up to invest in you.”
