The story of Yeshi Foods begins in 2017, with Paul and Barbara Kleinschmidt, a husband-and-wife team from Vancouver Island. For over a decade, Paul had been experiencing major fluctuations in his mood with periods of anxiety and depression. Through trial and error he learned that a gluten-free lifestyle significantly improved his mental health. To support her husband, Barbara put her professional culinary skills to work and developed a delicious gluten-free, nutritional yeast-based salad dressing that soon became a staple in their fridge.
Paul realized that Barbara’s salad dressing, both healthy and delicious, had serious potential. With support from family and friends, they started selling Yeshi at local farmers markets across Vancouver Island. They sold out week after week, and as the market-season came to an end, loyal customers were desperate to buy Yeshi year-round.
Now available at 1200 retailers across Canada, Paul and Barbara leveraged the support of Export Navigator to send their first purchase order into the United States In preparation to share Yeshi with the rest of America, they’ve expanded their staff to a full-time team of six,
No salad left behind
Through participating in American tradeshows, Paul and Barbara learned there was a strong appetite for Yeshi salad dressings in the United States.
Equipped with five SKUs of salad dressing, the duo were ready to share their products, as soon as they overcame one major hurdle: understanding food compliance regulations and how to get their products across the border. Paul and Barbara connected with their network for export advice and were introduced to Export Navigator.
Yeshi’s export advisor, Brady Calancie, pointed Paul and Barbara in the right direction, connecting them to many important contacts on both sides of the border.
Brady helped Paul and Barbara understand who they needed to talk to in order to meet regulatory compliance while also identifying government grants that could support the process financially.
“We’re in a great spot, thanks to working with Export Navigator, to better understand what it takes to expand into new markets,” says Paul. “If there’s an issue with any logistics, we now know how to handle it and who to contact.”
Delicious knows no borders
Brady guided Paul and Barbara prepare to meet the needs of the US market, supporting the founders in understanding how to expedite export processes and identify retail partners and distributors.
Brady also connected Paul and Barbara with brokers in their industry to help them identify new markets
In June 2024, Yeshi sent the first American product order to a regional distributor in the Pacific Northwest. To support the company’s continued growth into the US, Paul and Barbara have expanded their staff, hiring a full-time operations manager and business development manager to help reach their goals.
The perfect recipe
Export Navigator has given Yeshi Foods the tools they need to succeed in their mission of bringing gluten-free deliciousness to all communities.
“If you are looking to export across borders, look into Export Navigator,” advises Paul. “It is worth investing some time and effort into working with exporting experts that will help you with any headaches you come across!”
