WHAT WE DO

Trading industrial products since 1999, CAC’s parent company founded CAC Naturals in 2015 to build an export business for Canada’s most prestigious health supplement brand, Webber Naturals. As their exclusive distributor and strategic partner in China, we manage sales through a broad array of online and offline channels, including cross-border e-commerce platforms, direct sales, and a growing network of “experiential stores” (product showrooms).

We have developed payment systems, logistics and other know-how to receive, aggregate, ship, customs-clear and deliver orders with near-realtime direct payments back to Canada. Our export logistics are at the cutting edge of Canadian exporters and enable us to offer an unparalleled offering to Canadian manufacturers.

With a intricate understanding of the Chinese market and its nuances, a mature mix of sales channels and a deep commitment to the diversification of the Canadian economy, we are well-positioned to support Canadian manufacturers on their export journey.

In short, we offer a one-stop shop for Canadian manufacturers to export direct-to-doorstep, and offer foreign consumers a trusted source of factory-direct Canadian goods.

OUR OFFERING FOR CANADIAN PRODUCERS

You are probably approached weekly by buyers from China.

We offer access in a different way from many traditional importers.

Our model is different from many importers:

We are interested in long-term brand building.
Many trading companies take on multiple brands, and just try to sell them at the lowest price. Unless you are investing directly in that expensive market, they will not come back for more. By contrast, we want to build your product into a premium brand: it might grow more slowly, but will give you - and us - the margins to achieve a sustainable share.
We do not take on directly competitive products.
We aim to become China's most-trusted source of Canadian goods. We only offer quality products that we can recommend, which means only one from each class.
We use "personal exemptions" to bypass bulk-import border holdups.
China - like many countries, including Canada - allows individuals to bring things in for personal use, even if those products cannot be imported for sale. Since 2015, online-originated, direct-to-consumer mail orders in this way - so if you have an online presence and efficient logistics for individualized purchases, the economics work.
We have a presence in Canada.
We are a Canadian company, privately held 100% by Canadian citizens. We have assets and a warehouse here, and are able to serve you closely as your partner in brand building. That is one reason Canada's most prestigious supplement brand has trusted us since 2015.
We can work with your other branding agents.
Our unique offering is the logistical capability to fulfill online orders that qualify for personal-use exemptions. We have our own channels, and manage brands on behalf of some of our suppliers, but if you want to do this another way, then just use our custom-built online system to fulfill your orders. Your other online partners will likely find this an effective logistics service, too.

FAQ: HOW DO YOU MAKE IT WORK?

My product is restricted for sale because of [qualifications/consumer law/tariffs/quotas/food products/scientific submissions] in China and can’t be imported.

How can you do this through personal exemptions?

If you travel abroad from Canada, you can bring back items in your luggage – duty free and legally – that would be difficult to import in bulk. The same is true for China for online direct-to-consumer deliveries, provided that they are imported by a registered agent like CAC. This is a formal process codified in law in 2015.

Chinese bulk import laws are notoriously cumbersome – our method completely bypasses that for small or midsized importers like you.

How well do you know my market?

Our flagship product is a prestigious Canadian health supplement brand. Our online customers have money, are accustomed to online ordering, and demand a variety of other products. We have approached you because it is a segment we have identified as in demand by our existing customer base.

I have a TMall shop and reach most of China's consumers from there. What more can you offer?

There is so much more to success in China than TMall! Every product in the country starts there, but if that's all you do, you will not be profitable. TMall's cost structure is just too high, and it is too easy to find competing products.

To really succeed in China, your product needs some combination of:

on-ground, person-to-person sales through a trusted network
placement in stores (we can do this even for health products that cannot be imported for retail sale)
other online channels
a systematic online branding effort

Casual distributors and TMall partners cannot offer these.

I already have a distributor I trust (or an exclusive one) in China. Won’t you undermine them? I want you talk to them first.

We are a Canadian company selling online. We have a large marketing and distribution office in China, but we typically do not approach brick-and-mortar stores or traditional sales channels. In fact, if our product starts selling online, your brand will be more popular and it will help your distributor. We do not wish to displace them and can work alongside a strategy you set.

To do the registrations correctly, we need to be factory-direct; it will not work through a distributor, though we can provide fulfillment services to them.

We know we should sell something to China, but we want to study it further before we choose a partner. Do we need a contract?

The first thing we will do is test your products with our own staff, our Chinese office, and our top online channel partners.
We need only to become a wholesale buyer, and will guarantee that our product will not be sold into the local market. Your Chinese trademarks and border registrations remain in your name, so you can end the relationship at any time. After some trial sales, we may wish to discuss an investment in branding, but there is no commitment until you are sure.

Mail order deliveries are expensive, so the economics will never work.

Quality products that are factory-direct are sold at a premium in China. Our marketing will reflect this, and we will work with you to control the online prices available nationwide. We grow your brand as a premium product; your volumes might grow more slowly but your partners will be able to make money consistently there.

We have been perfecting our model for more than three years, and we are confident that our shipping costs are as efficient as they could be.

Great - how do I get started?

If you already sell at a Canadian retail store, we will:

import some samples to our China office to verify the border logistics;
share your samples with our internal "product parade" team and some key channel partners in China. At no cost to you, we will report to you their assessment of its market potential;
undertake a price assessment, set against your wholesale prices, to outline the branding effort required for a premium market segment; and
discuss with you your own goals, and make a proposal.

We have spent three years exclusively marketing a prestigious Canadian brand, and have made a company decision to acquire a limited number of new suppliers in the food, cosmetics, baby/maternal product, pet product and health supplement markets.