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2003 Winners
New Exporter of the Year Award
A great plan, targeted marketing and the dynamic energy of its team are what drive KLJ Field Services. Their venture is a data collection centre for market research companies. Two years ago, company president Jason McGrath sensed the need to provide top quality, reliable data to market researchers. The company was started in the Valley town of Windsor, where local people seized the opportunity to be part of something innovative and new. Last year, KLJ served 43 clients, mainly in the United States. Business has almost quadrupled from $450,000 in 2001 to $1.7 million in 2002. Surprisingly, most of KLJ's clients have never met with a company representative face to face. All of the work is done via e-mail and telephone. In market research, that's efficient and profitable.
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KLJ Field Services New Exporter of the Year Award |
Long Term Exporter Award
Presented by Nova Scotia Business Inc
What does it take to be the world's largest blueberry producer? For Oxford Frozen Foods, it's client care and meticulous attention to quality. The Cumberland County company chalked up exports of more than $62 million in 2002. Most of the credit goes to company president John Bragg whose export marketing efforts in Europe, the UK and the USA and whose trade trips to Japan in the 1970's led to Oxford's current arrangement as supplier to that country's largest jam manufacturer. Along with operating the largest fruit farm in the world, Oxford Frozen Foods is also one of North America's premier manufacturers of carrots and battered vegetables. Their business philosophy is straight forward - every relationship is a partnership. Their clients in Great Britain, France, Scandinavia, Germany, Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Japan, the Caribbean and Australia agree.
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Oxford Frozen Foods Long Term Exporter Award |
Export Growth in New Markets
Located in Debert, Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farms is run by the ownership team of Wayne Priest, his son Matthew and Mike Merkle. With 75 year of experience between them, they bring the finest hand picked Christmas Trees of Balsam and Canaan Fir to customers in Nova Scotia, the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico and beyond. Export sales make up more than 60% of Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farms' business, and due to the company's aggressive marketing approach, they have secured increasingly larger accounts in new markets. These include Home Depot and Wal-Mart. They have, in fact, more than doubled their market area with Wal-Mart. With an excellent product, reputation, and a hands-on approach have been the keys to success for Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farms.
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Maritime Paper Products Limited Export Growth in New Markets Award |
Export Growth Through Product Development
Interhabs Ltd. (Habitations International) has been using superior Canadian technology and materials to create unique homes since 1975. Rather than exporting typically "Canadian" houses, Interhabs strives to blend their design principles with the indigenous styles and traditions of each country. TheyÕve proven that an Interhabs home, designed for the harsh Canadian climate, adapts well to the different environmental challenges around the world. Export sales more than doubled in the last two years and account for more than 60% of the companyÕs revenues. Every year people in new countries discover the value and beauty of InterhabsÕ architect-designed structures. Today their manufactured, pre-engineered homes can be found in England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Argentina, Chile, Korea, and the United States.
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Covey Island Boatworks Export Growth Through Product Development Award |
Export Growth Through Partnership Award
When it comes to apple pie, there is really nothing more American. But that hasn't stopped Nova Scotia's Apple Valley Foods of Kentville from conquering the huge U.S. market through their exporting of fruit pies, crumb cake and cobblers. They did it by turning a U.S. quota protecting that country's sugar producers to their advantage. Apple Valley decided to go sugar-free. Now their no sugar-added pies fill the niche market for health conscious and diabetic pie eaters looking to avoid sugar in their diet. Their pies are made with fresh apples grown in the Annapolis Valley. By using a non-competing U.S. baker to distribute its product, Apple Valley has posted a 75 percent increase in business from 2001 to 2002.
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Apple Valley Foods Inc. Export Growth Through Partnership Award |
Export Growth in Sales Award
At home, Farmers is a household name. For more than 80 years, Nova Scotians have enjoyed Farmers dairy products every day. In more recent years, the company located in Hammonds Plains, has taken its traditional products and applied new technology to make them winners internationally. Recent investments to both their processing and packaging equipment have enabled them to produce Tetra Top UHT milk cartons that have a shelf life of up to ten months. This technique has given Farmers a huge opportunity to expand beyond Nova Scotia's borders to export markets in Mexico, India and the Caribbean Islands. The company is also exporting ice cream, cheese and butter to Guyana and Suriname. Sales for Farmers products have boomed from $500,000 in 2001 to $2.2 million last year.
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Farmers Dairy Export Growth in Sales Award |
Canadian Market Development Award
Like all of this year's award winners, Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale is a true Nova Scotia success story. Consider these achievements: the fastest growing domestic specialty brand in the country, number one beer in the Maritimes and a 30 percent increase in export sales last year. Add to that an increase in sales every month since its introduction and the shipping last year of the equivalent of 86,728,446 million bottles outside of the Maritimes. It's being achieved by a company that sells Keith's by trumpeting the Nova Scotia experience - an experience based on toe tapping music, rousing sociability and just having a good time. In 2002, the Keith's brand grew from more than $16 million in 2001 to $28.5 million last year and the forecast is for the trend to continue.
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Oland Brewey Canadian Market Development Award |
