Shenul Williams feared she would have to shut down her decades-old condiment-making business in Pickering, Ont., until a viral post on Reddit resulted in a surge of new customers motivated to buy and support local amid an ongoing trade war with the U.S. and a surge of patriotism.
“It was very overwhelming,” Williams said through tears in an interview with CTV News Saturday. “I was reading through the comments … they said, ‘Keep it up, we love your product,’ and that makes me feel like I can’t give up, I have to fight, I have to keep going.”
Williams’ business, Aki’s Fine Foods, has been around for 38 years. However, when the U.S. decided to impose tariffs on Canadian goods, and Canada responded with tariffs of its own, Williams feared that the cost of ingredients for her Indo-African condiments, sauces, and chutneys would rise significantly, potentially forcing her to shut down.
Her daughter, Aliza Welch, decided to ask for help on Reddit, posting in a group called ‘Buy Canadian.’ The post read: “My mom owns a Canadian-made Indo-African sauce company that has been in business for 38 years. It is truly amazing and has been struggling since COVID.”
“I really didn’t think much of it. I posted it and went to bed. My husband woke me up, and I was pretty grumpy about it when I was woken up, but things have gotten crazy and crazier since, and we couldn’t be more grateful,” said Welch in an interview with CTV News Saturday.
Overnight, the post received overwhelming support — now, it has nearly two million impressions, thousands of shares and comments. But most importantly for Williams and Welch, it resulted in hundreds of new customers across the country. Welch also posted on ‘Buy Canadian’ pages on Facebook and Instagram, which have gained traction as well.
“The emails and phone calls have been overwhelming, but we’re working day and night to try and get to everybody,” Welch added.
Aki’s Fine Foods traditionally sells products in partnership with larger chain stores, such as Loblaws, No Frills, and Superstore. However, Welch says this is the first time there has been such a shift to online orders.
“The online store has gone up six thousand per cent. My mom has been working off of word-of-mouth before that,” said Welch, adding that stores have also approached them to stock more of their products.
“I just want to thank all of you — because this is not just a purchase, this has made us feel like we can continue to do what we love to do,” said Williams to her customers, who also receive a personally written thank-you note inside each box of condiments sent out for delivery.
Social media ‘crucial’ for businesses during trade war
The ongoing trade war with the U.S. has already impacted Canadian businesses, with many trying to fill the gap left by increased import prices and a loss of American customers by attracting more Canadian consumers.
Recent surveys show that Canadians are looking to support local businesses during a surge of nationalism brought on by the U.S. trade war and annexation threats. Canadian businesses are using social media to take advantage of this opportunity.
“You have quite the movement happening in Canada right now, and you have a lot of Canadians who are interested,” said retail analyst Bruce Winder in an interview with CTV News on Saturday.
Writer and technology expert Carmi Levy says it’s difficult for businesses to go viral online, but there are strategies for finding an audience that may support your product.
“If every business knew how to go viral, everyone would be doing it. There’s no single successful recipe for virality,” said Levy. “The trick is to be yourself, be authentic, communicate with your local community, and stay on brand.”
Winder predicts the push to buy Canadian may eventually wane as the trade war develops, but businesses should keep their online marketing going to make sure they’re maximizing their sales potential.
“If the trade war continues, there will be pressure on jobs, and some Canadians may not be able to support Canadian businesses as much as they want to, just based on trying to make ends meet.”
