Don’t jump in front of the beer fridges at the grocery store when you see a jar of Quebec BBQ sauce there this summer. A Saguenay SME has just teamed up with the American giant Budweiser to launch a product.
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“The market is changing, big players need smaller ones like us to consolidate their brand. We take advantage of it,” rejoices Simon-Pierre Murdock, founder and co-owner of Canada Sauce.
Known for its three flagship condiments – ketchup, relish, mustard – made with 100% Canadian ingredients, the Saguenay-based company is expanding its palette.
Simon Pierre Murdock
Courtesy
“Our BBQ sauce with Budweiser in it is made with Canadian tomatoes, maple syrup and Canadian mustard flour,” explains the young entrepreneur.
This collaboration did not come about by shouting scissors. Simon-Pierre Murdock had to redouble his efforts to convince the owner of the American lager, the Belgian multinational Anheuser-Busch InBev.
He needed a dozen meetings in Toronto, where the Canadian offices of the giant are located, spread over nearly 12 months.
Ultimately, Canada Sauce handles production, research and development, distribution and marketing. Budweiser takes care of the marketing.
“We are a local company that wants to become international. We needed a strategic player to help us propel us forward,” explains Mr. Murdock.
photo courtesy of Canada Sauce
The fashionable place
He is convinced that their collaboration is “win-win”, because we are currently witnessing a “de-globalization” in the food sector.
“Multinationals want to get closer to the local economy, they see that they are being cheated of market share by small local players,” observes the entrepreneur.
Canada Sauce, for its part, is looking for Canadian and American growth.
The agreement with Budweiser is currently limited to the Quebec market. The two sauces produced in collaboration with the beer giant are available at IGA.
“There will be an expansion afterwards. We want to manage to crack the monopoly of Heinz-Kraft”, does not hesitate to advance Simon-Pierre Murdock.