As you know, we are one of very few Canadian manufacturers/exporters that regularly attends and sponsors agritourism conventions in the United States. We are heading to Tennessee tomorrow, where we will be the only Canadian exhibitors among 150+ booths. We are not really caught off-guard by the tariffs, as we always understood this to be a possibility. We are a bit surprised and deeply heartened by Canada’s collective response. We wanted to share some of our reactions, and actions with you.
First- a short story about how we got here (skip ahead as you wish;)
Our work in agritourism started in 2003. We are forever grateful to Mark and Angela Saunders for welcoming us in, and introducing us to the best industry in the world. Honestly, we mean that. We were able to take our experience and passion in tourism and family marketing, and focus our efforts in an industry that bridges these disciplines, in the most productive and positive way for our communities. We absolutely love agritourism, and are deeply connected to its purpose - now more than ever.
You’ve inspired so much creativity along the years.
We spent the first 12 years of our work learning from operations across Ontario, with just a couple from other areas. There were hundreds of interesting projects and challenges over the years. The one common thread in all our adventures is how inspired we were by all of you. The work you all do on your properties is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The experiences you offer to your community are world-changing. The development and growth of your brands, and your leadership in the industry- just a joy to watch and participate with. Back in 2015, we expanded into the U.S. market with products and services. This also helped us expand more across Canada, meeting friends in Nova Scotia, The Yukon, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and B.C! In 2019, we made our first European export sales. Last year, was our strongest sales year yet!
Marketing communication services has gone through a lot of change in these past 23 years, and we have adapted at every turn. From our first hard-coded website in 2003, and the days of B&W newsprint ads on a weekly basis (maybe with some orange spot colour!;), to assisting the creation of rural tourism marketing associations, to today - developing a e-commerce operation dedicated to agritourism, with unique innovations and products that are completely created and manufactured in Canada.
Everything we have created, has benefited from the experience we gained by working with all of you. We couldn’t be happier with the work we have done together, and how we have influenced other suppliers, and creators, in this space.
To our surprise, we have managed to inspire others, just as we were inspired by you, along all these years. It’s awesome. We are so grateful.
And …Here we are. So here we are in a trade war with our trusted partner and ally. It is unfortunate for us all. In routine strategic planning exercise over the years, we always had this as an outside possibility. Unlikely, but possible. So we planned for it - just in case.
Somehow, we did not expect to feel so strong and resolved. We are feeling inspired!
We are feeling motivated to create and innovate some more.
We are energized to put even more efforts into expanding products and services.
We are adapting some procedures to streamline margins with our exports.
We are offering incentives to off-set economic anxiety, on both sides of the border.
We are changing some suppliers arrangements, to respond to this moment.
We are feeling excited about expanding into other markets, both domestic and abroad.
Tomorrow, we will be setting up another exhibit, at a trade show in America. Somehow, this one feels different though. Doesn’t it?
We will have “Made in Canada” tags visibly placed all on our displays. All of a sudden, trade is more complicated, and 'place of origin' is a matter of personal commitment.
We have decades of growth ahead of us all.
This industry has a strong future. Our communities need us more than ever. The role that the family farms (and their amazing teams) play in this moment, could not be more critical. We have never felt more committed to the work, and passionate about its impact.
MacArt could not be more thankful to represent Canadian innovation, creativity and resolve. We are honoured to bring the “Made in Canada” brand to another U.S. trade show this week. We thank you for all the learning, friendship and inspiration over these past decades, and we can’t wait to adapt some more to meet this new, interesting moment we are in.
