Export opportunity for coast businesses

Gold Coast businesses looking to expand into international markets are being offered free support to assist with their export opportunities.

Coast business Dairy Free Down Under is the latest success story, exporting to the Middle East market from its Carrara factory.

“The Commonwealth Games Trade 2018 program introduced this business to a Middle East buyer. The rest is history,’’ said Mayor Tom Tate.

“I love the fact that Dairy Free Down Under is family-owned and operated … we have around 65,000 small businesses on the coast and many are family owned.’’

The operation employs 30 staff and is the only Australian owned large-scale manufacturer of dairy-free cheeses and dips that has been successfully commercialised for the retail market.

The business now exports to six countries including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore and are in discussions with other countries.

City of Gold Coast is the leading council in Australia for export development, delivering a complementary suite of export support programs specifically designed to reduce the time, cost and risk for coast businesses to develop new markets overseas for their products and services. These include free export training, export advisory, trade missions, buyer visits and a small grants program.

Other local success stories include Morlife, Our Organics, Digital Orthotics Laboratories (DOLA) Koala Karma and ESMI.

The next suite of free programs, titled Emerging Exporter Program, provide businesses with the training and consultation in developing and growing their export capabilities; and techniques to sell products and services to overseas markets. Other export support programs available to Gold Coast businesses include:

•           ITIP – International Trade and Investment Program

•           TradeStart export advisory – a partnership program with Austrade; and

•           Export Assistance Scheme – a financial support program for eligible export ready businesses.