The province is on a fast track to doing business with the South American giant
By Débora Marques
Alberta is quickly becoming the destination of choice for Brazilian companies looking to expand to North America. After the agreement between Invest Alberta and the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada (CCBC) signed in September 2022, establishing the interest in expanding international networks with one another, the province has enjoyed growing attention from leading businesses from the largest economy in Latin America.
In this period, the organizations have orchestrated several events to foster cooperation, starting with the setup of the Brazil Hub at Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) in December of that same year, the first of its kind in Western Canada. Providing a soft landing for Brazilian companies and innovators to connect with local business, research and development partners, as well as government and industry, the Hub has attracted and supported the arrival of a number of companies since its inception, increasing job opportunities and bringing economical growth to the market.
One such company is Brainiall, which uses Artificial Intelligence to maximize the performance of heavy industry processes, particularly in mining – a vibrant part of Alberta’s economy. Additionally, the Hub welcomed Mitsidi Projects, a company specialized in energy efficiency, demand management and distributed generation, helping organizations to drastically reduce energy costs and consequently, environmental impact. In total, two companies have joined Edmonton’s Brazil Hub in less than one year, and four more are in process of joining, confirming the success of the partnership to date.
“In just one year since formalizing Invest Alberta’s partnership with CCBC, we are already seeing economic opportunities unleashed for both regions. There is clear alignment of strength sectors from clean energy to agribusiness to technology, and we’re paving the way for Brazilian companies to access Alberta’s talented workforce and collaborative business environment – positioning all parties for prosperity and success.”– Rick Christiaanse, Invest Alberta CEO.
The cooperation doesn’t end there—Invest Alberta has its eyes set on expanding commerce with distinct Brazilian states as well, having hosted a delegation from Parana (a region deemed one of the country’s powerhouses in the agriculture and energy sectors) in Edmonton last May, followed by the Brazil-Alberta Opportunities forum in partnership with the CCBC, BCCC and Edmonton Global in August.
“In less than one year, we were able to accomplish every goal of our agreement with Invest Alberta and Edmonton Global, but we still have a lot of work to do,” explains Stephane Larue, President of the CCBC in Canada. “We’re eager to continue offering our 50 years of expertise and connections to our partners in Alberta, facilitating the integration of Brazilian companies into the market and helping attract investment opportunities and jobs into the province.”
In September, Invest Alberta and Edmonton global—alongside partners from Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, University of Alberta and Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation—promoted the province in Brazil through several speaking engagements, meetings and events. The delegation hosted events in Sao Paulo and Parana, and presented Alberta’s innovation ecosystem at the CCBC’s Summit Brazil-Canada event. During this visit, an important agreement was also signed to help promote business opportunities and cooperation between Alberta and the Brazilian state of Parana.
“As the economic development organization that represents the Edmonton region, we are excited to further strengthen our ties with our partners in Brazil, and to be positioned as the North American landing pad for many Brazilian companies looking to expand into global markets. With plans to host multiple Brazilian delegations in the Edmonton region over the coming weeks, and more in 2024, the September mission to Brazil is already seeing a successful outcome.” – Malcolm Bruce, CEO Edmonton Global.
