I’ve been doing the ‘buy Canadian’ thing for a few years now. I actually enjoy the game of trying to find cool folks making cool stuff and I know that there are others like me just like there are people who lack the time or inclination to do the research.
I also think it can be tricky for people looking at starting a business to be able to identify a need.
So what’s a product you don’t know of a Canadian alternative to?
Personally, it’s cast iron cookware. Meyer makes great stainless stuff, but there isn’t a single foundry making cast iron cookware in Canada. I’ve actually started emailing a few to see if I can find a Canadian foundry that would be willing to batch produce cast iron skillets. Finding a local brand already doing it would be a LOT easier!
Credit cards. Not like a Canadian Tire card, but the equivalent of Visa, MasterCard or AMEX. I have a line of credit through my bank, but it’s tied in with Visa. Think of the amount of $ we give the US through interest and/or annual fees! Would it be in the billions?
WHY isn’t there a Canadian credit card?
This is the unspoken lie about the supposed trade imbalancr. America has a deficit with many countries when it comes to goods but has a massive surplus with nearly every country on services.
Think app stores, streaming services and financial services as you’ve come across. America got there first and so American companies profit off of these in perpetuity. Unless you’re like China and have a domestic version of all such services. Which the world may need to move to if the US is no longer seen as a reliable partner.
The EU is currently pushing for a non-US alternative to the big two credit card processors.
It still uses the same networks, but you should check out Neo Financial - great cashback, they work specifically with small vendors, and their offices are in the same building as me here in Calgary.
Canada does have Interac E-Transfer, which is already used as a free alternative to the likes of PayPal. It is also possible to use e-transfer for business transactions. An e-transfer system similar to Alipay where you scan a QR code to pay would be quite handy to make payments at stores. Would it be possible for credit card merchants to use e-transfer for their transactions?
Would it be possible for credit card merchants to use e-transfer for their transactions?
Makes accounting a nightmare if it’s not integrated with Point of Sales. But Hong Kong and Brazil and a few other countries already figured out how to use a single system for e-transfers and digital payment method, it can be done if Interac is extended - and better yet, nationalized under the central bank.
It would be great if we have Credit Cards that uses Interac or The Exchange Network.
I’ve seen the scanning QR code to pay. It would be great if companies can just scan them and save the bills on the phone for expenses. It would streamline things very well during tax time
Japanese light novel/manga translators. Sure, I could ply the seven seas, me harty, but I’d rather pay someone and the original copy for their hard work to try to keep the series going.
Beard oil. Every damn one I see in store or online is made in the US.
Have you looked online at The Cape Breton Beard Factory?
I’ve never heard of them, but that’s awesome - thanks!
Okay, I’m curious, I’ll see what I can find. I just got a made in Canada Razor, shave bar, and brush so I’ve been down parallel rabbit holes ;)
Boreal folk makes balsam fir and fireweed face oils that double as beard oils.
Awesome, thanks!
Fantastic, thanks!
Bike components, tires, chains, etc. Even stuff like chain wax and lubricants tend to not be Canadian.
Fortunately, many of those are European, Taiwanese, and Not American.
Also, TIL that Oasis makes Orange juice in Canada using oranges from Brazil, so enjoy 😂
Also, TIL that Oasis makes Orange juice in Canada using oranges from Brazil, so enjoy 😂
Wow… them Gallagher brothers will really do anything other than release a new album, won’t they?!
Check out Whistler Performance Lubricants (WPL) - locally made and my favourite chain lube.
North Shore Billet does chain rings, pedals, stems, brake adapters, and other small parts.
I’ve also got some We Are One carbon wheels on one of my bikes which are amazing despite my qualms about the sustainability of carbon.
My next set of hubs are going to be Project 321.
Oh and Kruch and Schon both make amazing steel frames by hand. I have a Kruch Shrimpalicious that I adore and was built within pedal distance to me.
I’ve seen the WPL brand, but had no idea they are Canadian. They don’t do chain wax, but I can use their cleaning products and gease 😁
I’ll check out the other brands. Thanks for sharing!
Try the dry lube - it changed my life. That said, don’t over apply - every complaint I’ve seen is due to over application.
Once you go wax, you’ll never go back to anything else.
I know a number of people who got too much buildup from over applying and decided it was crap. My advice was always - be more lazy.
They weren’t going it right then! I use a combination of immersion and drip wax, but it’s easy to do wrong if you over-apply the drip wax or pull the immersion wax out when it’s too cool (the wax should run off, not stay stuck to the outside of the chain).
There is some flaking the first time riding after a wax, but that can so be minimized.
The real time saver with wax is less need to clean the chain (or use solvents). And because chain wear is almost nonexistent, components last “forever”.
I’m aware of Canadian bike builders, but the main components are still made elsewhere.
Like, is there a Canadian equivalent of Shimano? Or Schwable?
We do also have a nice bike accessories market via bag makers. 👍
Computer parts like CPUs and almost everything else. Almost all digital services. Credit card payment systems. A marketplace like Amazon or Temu. A store that sells MP3s or similar digital music. Most household generic bulk goods (excluding premium categories).
To be fair my definitions can be a bit strict compared to others. For example I’d include foreign brands with some assembly in Canada as being foreign for my personal tastes.
Qubuz is a Canadian music streaming service.
Qobuz is French, not Canadian.
I thought it was from France?
Update: I don’t think it’s Canadian. In fact it only arrived in Canada in 2023.
It is! But I want to own my music, like a caveman. Google, Apple, bandcamp, and not much else and it’s all American !
I’m currently looking into the feasibility of making a store for this.
Quboz lets you buy your music though?
Egg on my face, you’re right!
In terms of marketplaces, https://www.shopperplus.ca/ isn’t perfect, but it’s a Montreal-based company that offers a lot of (probably still Chinese-made) home/office alternatives to Amazon/Staples.
This looks great! I appreciate the tip
“Credit card payment systems.” Interac (if you have the cash to spend at the time) “A marketplace like Amazon or Temu.” Mavenfair.ca is a recent start-up in BC with a wholly Canadian product line FBM (fulfilled by merchant).
“Credit card payment systems.” Interac (if you have the cash to spend at the time)
Absolutely yes. However there are many cases where credit is the only option, for example parking garages, most cases where a deposit is needed like a rental car or hotel, or almost anything online.
If Interac was ubiquitous then it would solve my use case but in my understanding of the economics involved; the credit system is uniquely good for some applications
“A marketplace like Amazon or Temu.” Mavenfair.ca is a recent start-up in BC with a wholly Canadian product line FBM (fulfilled by merchant).
This is a neat looking site! It feels more boutique to me, but maybe it will evolve into something more general eventually. Thanks for the tip
There are, or at least were, Canadian cast iron makers.
Unfortunately, they seem to rely on Facebook.
See: https://castironcanada.com/
Also, it’s not clear which of these businesses are actually still operating. For example, Bristol Iron Works in Huntsville ON has a danger flagged website and a FB page that hasn’t been updated in years.
Almond and almond derived products are almost all American.
I think California has ~80% of the almond market which is absolutely absurd considering the water demand for producing almonds.
I’ve switched to oat milk in my coffee but am still divesting from almond flour…
Try Yupik. I think we found almonds from Spain there. https://yupik.com/en/
Recently bought a giant bag of Yupik pumpkin seeds and they were from China which wasn’t stated online or I wouldn’t have bothered. Very disappointing, had to return them.
I was looking at their site and I can’t tell where the almonds are coming from. All I see is “Prepared in Canada”.
I have switched to Nut to You peanut butter, it’s actually quite good, even compared to Costco’s Organic PB. It’s miles beyond trash like Kraft PB.
Tech hardware. Networking equipment, firewalls, switches, access points etc
We legitimately need a crown corporation or semething to start developing critical hardware and software free of American influence.
How much of that is made in America? Isn’t most of it manufactured overseas?
Yeah, “designing” would probably be the better word. Very little in terms of hardware is actually developed there. But in terms of Microsoft, Android, iOS, those are American.
I can’t think of anything in particular since the most important thing, Deez nuts, are 100% Canadian.
annie’s noodles
Meyer makes cast iron cookware. https://meyercanada.ca/search?q=iron&type=product
Edit: looks like the cast iron products are not made in Canada. Meyer bought the old Paderno factory and is basically Chinese owned. They also make the Canadian products for Paderno, which is a brand name owned by Canadian Tire.
Sadly, we used to have a complete real set of Paderno cookware from 20 years ago. Was replaced with a Chinese made Lagostina set that we received as a gift. Now looking for a new set, and Meyer really only makes complete sets, no open stock, especially for sauté pans which we use a lot. Guess we will have to go made in EU.
I don’t think their cast iron is made in Canada - but I emailed customer service for confirmation.
Looking at their page some more, looks like it isn’t. All their made in Canada products are labelled as such. Will edit my reply.
Meyer makes
Are they made in Canada though?
Canadian Owned: No
If you’re looking to buy Meyer, keep a close eye on where it’s made, as they have factories in China, Thailand, and Italy, so just because it says Meyer, it may not be made in Canada. Their website is pretty clear about what products are made in Canada, as clearly, they see this as a differentiator in the Canadian market.
From: madeinca.caThe Anglicized name of the family business, a transliteration of the Chinese characters for “beautiful” and “Asia” (“mai” and “yah”), was Meyer Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
From: encyclopedia.comThank you. Looks like Meyer bought the Paderno factory. Now making KitchenAid, Meyer and Paderno. Guess that also explains why Paderno is so bad now.
Cheerios!
Honey Os
But they are vegan because no actual honey is used. I wonder how detrimental for sales this technicality is. As a vegan, I wouldn’t even consider looking at it from the name alone, but it’s nice that it is a vegan option.
Edit: Holy shit, $11 for 280g??? That’s crazy.
Lmao 11 bucks for 300 grams is insane.
It’ll be nice when vegan items don’t come at at 500% premium.
It’s not priced that way because it’s vegan. Vegan knockoff Cheerios are dirt cheap.
With the amount of cheerios we go through there’s no way I could afford this sadly. I wish Quaker would just make some plain cheerios!
For now we’re just eating a lot more plain oatmeal.
Diabetic supplies.
Lysol wipes are like magic to me. They clean 99% of everything. I would love a Canadian alternative that are equally as effective but I don’t know of one.
Thank you! I’ll look into these and keep and eye out at the grocery store.
At my local grocery store, all canned soup comes from the US. There’s some alternatives that are made in Canada, but they’re all in different packages (Happy Planet comes in pouches, Soups On comes in these massive jars) - none available in cans.
Sprague is Canadian they have soup ,beans and veg chilli.all in cans.
and have a look at Sun-Brite who make Unico, Primo and several US brands and for dry soups, there’s several more listed at search result for soup at ManufacturedIn.CA
