Based near Ely in Cambridgeshire, CN Seeds is a family company serving professional growers worldwide with a wide range of herb, vegetable and flower seeds.

In May last year the company sought UKTI help to explore the potential of working with key suppliers in Japan in order to develop the vegetable seed side of the business.

Export Sales Manager Craig Thomas explains:  “We had established a demand from clients in Europe and America for a new variety of broccoli which they wanted to be able to offer to their customers.  We knew that we could develop this in Asia with collaboration with various plant breeders, but we needed advice on whether we should use an agent or liaise with the companies directly.  We also wanted to gain a better understanding of the cultural differences of doing business in Japan as we’d heard it could be quite easy to make a mistake and offend someone, particular senior members of the company.”

Through the Gateway to Global Growth programme, a service that offers experienced exporters a 12 month programme of strategic support tailored to their needs, CN Seeds was able to obtain funding for two members of staff to visit Japan in December 2013 and attend The Asian Seed Conference.

Prior to the trip UKTI Trade Adviser James Gillespie gave Craig useful advice on how to navigate the Japanese business market.  “I explained the importance of gift giving and also advised him to take double-sided business cards with one side printed in Japanese,” says James, adding: “Cross cultural awareness in areas such as meeting etiquette, business protocol and approaches to doing business are ways of enhancing your business trip and maximizing your potential in Japan.  For this reason I recommended Craig work through a Japanese agent.”

“James’ advice was crucial,” says Craig.  “By following it we were able to win over a Japanese plant supplier, which has since led to more than £200,000 of sales to growers in Europe and America.”

Following the success of its trip to Japan, CN Seeds secured further funding to travel to a seed conference in the US in January and meet with existing customers in California and Arizona.

“Our aim was to expand our customer base in the US by targeting the East Coast,” says Craig.  “The funding we received from UKTI enabled us to pay for our plane tickets.  During the trip we also visited our existing growers’ farms which really enabled us to build our relationships with them and find out exactly what they needed from us.”

This one week trip to the US resulted in an additional $300,000 of orders for the company and it also secured several potential strong leads in the East coast of the USA. 

“UKTIs help and advice, coupled with funding, has allowed us to develop new markets, which has undoubtedly contributed to our overseas success,” said Craig adding: “I have a great working relationship with James.  I can always get hold of him for advice when I need it and his experience has truly benefitted the business.”

“It’s always rewarding to help open up new markets for small companies,” said James adding:  “CN Seeds is now securely on the path to global growth.”