Canberra companies making mark overseas

Canberra companies making mark overseas
July 6, 2004

Asia Intelligence Wire

You can never be too small to forge an international business reputation.

Those were the words of Tony Pemmer and Marita Corra, whose companies were ringing endorsements of what Canberra businesses were capable of in the export market.

They were two of the keynote speakers at last night's Exporters' Club cocktail function at Regatta Point.

Mr Pemmer and his wife started their Hume-based Bottles of Australia business in 1989, and have been exporting their sports drink bottles since 1994. About 7 per cent of the Australian population owned a Bottles of Australia drink bottle, and although exports only equated to 3.5 per cent of production, Mr Pemmer started small in Fiji and has since broken into the lucrative Asian market.

The ACT Emerging Exporter award-winner gave advice - and a drink bottle to ACT Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism Ted Quinlan - on how would-be Canberra exporters should tackle the international market.Mr Quinlan, in his speech, launched the Canberra-California Bridge Program, part of the ACT Government's commitment to a new export strategy.

The export development program, created in cooperation with partner organisations the Larta Institute of Los Angeles and Global CONNECT of San Diego, aimed to develop better channels for ACT companies to enter the United States market.

He said 12 ACT-based technology companies could undertake a highly intensive training program designed to assist with developing strategies for entry, expansion and integration into the US market.

Four of these companies would be selected to participate in extensive feedback, mentoring and presentation events in the US.

But if the US was not for you, John Finnin - the regional director of Austrade, Europe, Middle East and Africa - outlined how even the seldom sought after Middle Eastern and former Soviet Union countries offered an avenue for riches.

Executive director of the Canberra Business Council John Miller said last night was all about networking, and how to grow the number of ACT-based exporters, and with them, the local economy.

'As a smaller jurisdiction, a lot of our businesses that have made it overseas have done it largely on their own,' he said. 'We've got a lot of experienced exporters who are involved here and they're able to pass on information to emerging exporters and what they might need to do to ease their way into a new market.' Mrs Corra's company, Inland Trading Corporation, was responsible for getting Canberra region wines on to the international stage.

Her company was the 2003 ACT Exporter of the Year. Inland Trading Corporation delivered to 16 countries and shipped one or two containers - each housing 1400 cases - of Australian wine a week.