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!
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.
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.
used them a couple of times for things like speaker wire and computer stands, can recommend them.
This looks great! I appreciate the tip
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!
“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).
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
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