Fredericton’s ‘Export Igniter’ Will Help These 6 Companies Tap New International Markets
FREDERICTON – Six New Brunswick companies are getting help from Ignite Fredericton to break into international markets.
The city’s economic development organization announced the 2019 cohort for its Export Igniter accelerator Friday. Export Igniter is Atlantic Canada’s first export acceleration program. The program’s goal is to help growth-stage companies navigate the complexities of international business and break into new markets.
“We’re very excited about the companies that will participate in our third cohort of Export Igniter,” said Adam Peabody, director of Planet Hatch and coordinator of the program. “Seventy per cent of our graduates from the first two cohorts are now exporting with growing sales, creating 12 new jobs in the process. We aim to help this year’s cohort achieve similar levels of success.”
The companies participating in the 2019 Export Igniter program are:
- Fiddlehead Casket Company: producing handcrafted, environmentally-friendly caskets and urns
- Roticana Coffee: producing high-quality coffee sourced from beans around the world and coffee-related products
- GoDo: producing meaningful interactions between brands and the audiences they seek to serve
- York County Cider: producing and distributing hard cider made from locally sourced apples
- Wabanaki Maple Products: producing the highest-quality, barrel-aged maple syrup
- Educated Beards: producing 100 per cent natural and organic grooming products
Over 12 weeks, participants receive workshops, mentorship and resources. Each company is also paired with a team of highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students from the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Business Administration. The intent is for companies leave ready to tackle new markets with a comprehensive export and sales strategy.
The program was developed in 2016 through a partnership model between Ignite Fredericton, Planet Hatch, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, Opportunities NB, the University of New Brunswick and Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.