The Canadian Expat Association has long been an advocate for recognition of the value of the contributions that Canadians living abroad make to Canada.  Expats are not only directly responsible for billions of dollars in trade, but they are also responsible for spreading interest in Canadian cultural products such as music and art.  What happens however, when these ambassadors of Canadiana come home?  It appears that these same people, once repatriated, often become cultural representatives for the countries that they once lived in.  Once again, they become key players, not only in increasing bilateral trade, but also improving the cultural understanding between the two countries. Only this time it happens from Canada.

Pat Ellis, president of Blue Note Wine is a prime example of how this works.  While in Japan in the mid 90s working for a small trading company, Pat fell in love with a drink that is seen as synonymous with Japanese food, ‘Sake (sa-ke)’. Upon returning to Canada, Pat began to search for his newly found beverage of choice.  Unfortunately, it just wasn’t available here.  Sure, Sake has been in Canada for quite some time, but the quality of the most commonly sold brand is not quite at the level of that which you would find in Japan.  It is made on a huge scale in the US and as Pat says “Compared to the premium Sake that is now available here, that stuff is equivalent to drinking turpentine.  It might be better suited to disinfecting wounds and cleaning paint brushes than drinking.”  Nowhere was Pat’s beloved beverage to be found. Not even the best Japanese restaurants in Vancouver at the time were carrying it.  It’s rumored that they would have a private stash for important Japanese clients, but there was so little of it around, the average person just couldn’t buy it.

This is when Pat decided to change things.

Utilizing the contacts he had gained while in Japan, in 2001 Pat opened his own trading company with the sole purpose of importing Sake and spreading the word about this important part of Japanese cultural heritage.  What he came up against was a logjam, not in the interest from sophisticated diners, but rather in the interest from Japanese restaurants.  “I was faced with a huge challenge.  I was not going to these establishments to convince the owners that they needed to change their menu.  Instead, I was asking them to change a culture. A business culture that held to the belief that premium Sake could not possibly be sold to the average Canadian consumer.”  Indeed Pat was confronted with the fact that diners were content with drinking garbage and owners were content on serving it to them.  But as Pat puts it, “I really don’t blame the managers of those establishments. I was asking these people to participate in a huge gamble.  After all, how could I expect them to rationalize carrying a product that was three or four times more expensive than what they were serving at that time, especially when their clients seemed to enjoy the stuff.”  Pat tells of his confrontation with one of the most prominent Japanese restaurants downtown Vancouver.  “I had approached the manager four or five times when he finally took me aside and laid down the law.  He told me flat out that premium Sake would never sell here in Canada and that I was wasting his and my time.  He proceeded to make a deal with me saying that he would buy one case, but only if I promised never to come back again.  The manager said that he would probably end up giving the bottles away at a staff Christmas party because there is no way anyone will buy it.  Three days later he had me on the phone because he had sold the entire case.”

A large piece of the logjam had been removed and with it gone the other pieces began floating away allowing the Sake to flow freely. Since then Pat has been across the country promoting Sake.  He now can boast to having about 70% of the market in a booming industry with pubs and restaurants serving nothing but premium Sake opening up in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.  All this can be traced back to one individual’s passion for a beverage and a culture that he discovered while living abroad.

This success story is not the exception.  There are plenty of examples of Expats that have returned to Canada to become ambassadors for the countries in which they once lived in.  Indeed, much of the success of cross-cultural trends that we have seen over the past couple of decades can be tied back to Expats.  The booming Thai food business for example, can at least partially be attributed to the close to the 10,000 Canadian travelers to Thailand each year and to expats that return to Canada from living there.

Yes, Expats are responsible for spreading Canadian culture around the globe.  However, to a large extent returning Canadian Expats are also responsible for increasing an awareness of the cultures of the countries that they once made their home in.  This phenomenon can only strengthen ties between the two countries.  There is no doubt that bilateral trade will increase. However, perhaps just as important is the increase in respect that both sides gain for one another’s culture.

Categories: Expat Stories
Tags: Blue Note Wine, features, Japan, Pat Ellis, Repatriates, Sake