ROME – Dear Italian entrepreneurs, keep an eye on Canada because it is there that, with the right moves, it will be possible to collect a lot as soon as the coronavirus emergency ends. Word of Paolo Quattrocchi (in the pic), who since 2017 directs the Italy-Canada Study Center, an institution he founded, that supports dialogue and promotes mutual understanding between Italy and Canada through organization of events and studies in the fields of economy, society, science and culture.

In a long interview by Carmelo Cutuli published by the magazine Formiche.net (link: Esportare in Canada. Ne parliamo con Paolo Quattrocchi, direttore del Centro Studi Italia-Canada), the expert in commercial and corporate law gives a series of “tips” to Italian entrepreneurs interested in new cross-border markets and provides interesting data.

“Before introducing yourself to the Canadian market it is necessary to be seriously and adequately prepared, to be accompanied by a complete business plan, including tax planning, having deepened the knowledge of the country, the local market and its rules. Innovation and competitiveness must not be lacking. Otherwise, it would not be taken into consideration. But once they enter the market, Canada can really give a lot “, Quattrocchi explains in the interview, underlining that “the recovery will represent a great opportunity. Italian entrepreneurs could take advantage of this moment of forced stagnation to evaluate and prepare their entry into international markets. Canada, not unlike other countries, is experiencing a sharp slowdown which, taking into account the growth rates up to 2020, can only be followed by a strong rebound. The space for Italian companies is wide and covers all sectors in which our companies traditionally already intervene”.

A space that has expanded in recent years thanks to CETA, the free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada that favors imports and exports between the North American and European countries. The trade has in fact “generated a continuously growing assets until 2019. 2019 – explains Quattrocchi in the interview – closed with an export from Italy of 9.5 billion Canadian dollars, up +5, 2%, even against a significant development of imports from Canada of + 4.2% and a value of 3.2 billion Canadian dollars. Unfortunately, in the first ten months of 2020, undermined by the pandemic crisis, exports decreased by 8% (7.3 billion dollars), however a smaller difference compared to the fall in imports from the world which stood at 12% and even 13%. % from the EU “.

Of course, the sector that has withstood the crisis best was “the Italian agri-food industry, whose exports of cereal and flour-based preparations even increased by 27%. Furthermore, it is thanks to the CETA agreement that exports of Italian cheeses recorded an increase of 18%. In fact, CETA has increased the import quota free of customs duty by 247% and has opened the quota to sellers ”.

But there is another made in Italy sector that is making a name for itself in Canada: pharmaceuticals. “Italian medicines – reveals Quattrocchi – are the most exported product to Canada. Other emerging products of our export to Canada are motor vehicles, cast iron, iron and steel products, raw rhodium, taps, packaging machinery, gears, parts of turbojet engines for the aeronautical industry, turbines gas, machines for processing pulp, paper and cardboard and machines for processing marble and stone”.

Returning to agri-food, the Italian companies that are leading by example are Barilla and Lavazza. Barilla formalized the acquisition of the historic Canadian company Catelli Dry Pasta for 165 million Canadian dollars (107 million euros) less than two months ago. The agreement also includes the related Catelli, Splendor and Lancia brands and the plant in Montreal, Quebec. Lavazza acquired 80% of the capital of Kicking Horse (Canadian company leader in the coffee segment) in 2017 and “in 2019 – underlines Quattrocchi – it recorded € 2.2 billion in revenues, + 18% compared to 2018, 70 % of which made abroad”.

And the next event organized by the Study Center led by Quattrocchi is dedicated just to Lavazza: the webinar “The Lavazza case – Canada”, scheduled for Thursday 18 March at 6 pm, dedicated to the exponential growth in the North American country of the Italian brand that is growing in Canada double-digit and continues its expansion strategy abroad (the link to register: https://www.centrostudi-italiacanada.it/articles/news_from_canada_webinar_il_caso_lavazza_canada-223)

The webinar of is one of many initiatives promoted by the Study Center and is part of the periodic column “News from Canada” which is dedicated to companies that want to operate in Canada and which offers updates on news also of a legal nature, as well as hosting important companies Italian companies active on the Canadian market. A real “guide” to investments in North America.