The World Traveller

Chromag Bikes, Whistler

SPECIALTY: High-end mountain bikes and bike parts, plus clothing and other soft goods FOUNDED: 2003 EXPORTING SINCE: 2006 PROPORTION OF TOTAL SALES FROM EXPORTS: Roughly two-thirds THE STORY SO FAR: Chromag kicked off its export business in Japan, thanks to a cycling industry connection that was both personal and professional, says founder Ian Ritz, whose title is big boss. “Beyond that, the other markets we reached were purely through people discovering our brand and finding that there was a demand for our products, and they sought us out,” Ritz explains. Chromag—about two-thirds of its products are made in Taiwan— now exports worldwide. Besides Japan and several other Asian countries, destinations include the U.S., Europe, South America and Australia. TOP EXPORT CHALLENGE: “Probably the biggest challenges simply relate to the cost of getting the products there,” Ritz says, “understanding the logistics process and building our business so we have a level of traffic that we can negotiate rates and ship the size of cargo to reach scale of economics to make it feasible.” WHAT'S NEXT: Ten-strong Chromag is curious about China, where other cycling players have been moving for some time. “We've been a little bit skeptical because we don't know much about what the participation in the sport is like there,” Ritz says. “But just through our manufacturing contacts in Taiwan, there is some talk about there being a good potential market.”