Wasabi operation takes root north of Nanaimo: 60 greenhouses planned for 35-acre site

Published in Victoria Times Colonist, 11-20-12, click here to read.

Are You Eating Real Wasabi or Just Coloured Horseradish?

Vancouver Island, BC (November, 2012) - Most North American sushi lovers have never tasted real wasabi (wasabia japonica). The spicy green paste that you have with your sushi is most likely a mixture of horseradish, starch, mustard, and food colouring. The fact is, real wasabi is rare, expensive and has remarkable healing qualities you may not be aware of.

Pharmaceutical research has identified naturally occurring compounds in wasabi that show promise in treating a wide variety of ailments such as allergies, eczema, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease – a $200 billion dollar Biomedical market (Journal of Neurochemistry, 2008, 107, 1248-1260).

However, the demand for authentic wasabi in the biomedical and culinary industries exceeds supply. Aside from the challenge of producing enough wasabi within its limited Japanese ecosystem, elevated radiation levels in the wake of Japan’s 2011 nuclear accident continue to impact the quality of harvest, reducing the number of plants for sale (http://www.good.is/posts/feast-your-eyes-radioactive-wasabi). The ability to grow wasabi in a greenhouse is the solution to providing contaminant free, commercial quantities to fulfill market demand.

Dr. Brian Oates, PhD Botanist, Scientist/Wasabi Expert

But can it be done? Historically grown in shade-covered streams, wasabi has been notoriously difficult to grow outside of its natural environment – until now. Backed by decades of research and development, government relations with the USDA, EPA, Health Canada and AAFC, wasabi is no longer limited to the streams of Japan. Successfully growing for six years on multiple sites, PhD Botanist Dr. Brian Oates of Pacific Coast Wasabi Ltd. has replicated a natural environment where conditions are carefully controlled - a proven “recipe” for producing high-grade wasabi in a greenhouse.

This proprietary technology has placed the industry at the precipice of an innovative transition from small-scale farms to successful mid-scale commercial production. Savvy investors are recognizing this commercial growing system as an environmentally sustainable breakthrough for the wasabi production industry.

For information about participating in the Vancouver Island commercial production site, contact:

c/o Pacific Coast Wasabi Ltd
Michael Naprawa
250-751-7917
michael@viwasabi.com
www.wasabia.com

New Opportunity: Passive Food Production Business On Vancouver Island

BCBusinessBrokers has an exciting, new business opportunity--“Passive Food Production Business” (VANISBC001-N135).

Traditionally grown in the purest of Japanese streams, authentic wasabi (Wasabia Japonica) has been notoriously difficult to grow in any other environment. Following decades of research and development, the patent pending proprietary process of growing semi-aquatic wasabi in a greenhouse environment has been perfected. With four sites successfully operating for six (6) years, the company is expanding its commercial production. Limited opportunities are now available on Vancouver Island. This is a passive business opportunity with strong expansion potential.  Full time site management will ensure that greenhouse construction and crops are monitored, managed and cared for. A Grower’s Unit includes a license to purchase wasabi plantlets; guaranteed sales; and three (3) fully-erected greenhouses (20,000 sq ft) ready for planting. Demand for high-grade wasabi greatly exceeds supply in the culinary market worldwide; fresh wasabi is sold out weekly. New orders cannot be filled. The limited supply has been further affected by elevated radiation levels in the wake of Japan’s 2011 earthquake and nuclear fallout. Merely replacing the culinary production lost in Japan represents an enormous market demand. Customer requests far exceed what this site can produce based on wholesale prices to culinary markets only. There is also an increasing demand for wasabi in the multi-billion dollar anti-aging and biomedical industries. Research validates compounds found in wasabi which are known to be effective in treating stomach cancer, just one of wasabi’s many applications and upsides. Being involved in commercial wasabi production on Vancouver Island is a sound and lucrative business opportunity. With only one commercial wasabi operation in North America and an unpenetrated global demand, this is the ideal time to secure your position as a Grower.

For more information on this business or to learn about other opportunities, contact Michael Naprawa at 250-751-7917 or visit our website at www.bcbusinessbroker.ca.

Selling Your Business? 10 Commandments to Avoid Wrecking the Deal

Selling a business is not as simple as selling a house. According to Tom West, “the ten commandments” are imperative to a successful business sale. Tom West is a founder and past president of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) and a frequent lecturer on all aspects of buying, selling, or appraising a business.

The 10 Commandments

1. Place a reasonable price on your business. An inflated figure either turns off potential buyers. Rely on your business broker to help you arrive at the best "most probable" selling price.

2. Carry on "business as usual." It’s important to maintain the company as a “going concern.”

3. Engage experts to ensure confidentiality. A breach of confidentiality surrounding the sale of a business can be detrimental.

4. Prepare for the sale by doing some “housecleaning.” Be sure your records are complete and do a literal sprucing-up of the plant or store.

5. Anticipate information the buyer may request. Bank financing will require the buyer to provide appraisals on assets.

6. Recognize the value of a motivated buyer as someone who will pay the right price for your business. Avoid the greed factor – sellers frequently lose buyer interest if they become greedy.

7. Be flexible. Don't be the kind of seller who wants all-cash at the closing, or who won't accept any contingent payments or an asset transaction.

8. Negotiate. Don't dominate. With your business broker's help, decide ahead of time when "to hold" and when "to fold."

9. Keep time from dragging down the deal. Timely communication of counter offers will keep the momentum up.

10. Be willing to stay involved. The buyer may want you to stay within arm's reach for a while. Consult with intermediaries to determine how you can best effect a smooth transition.

Sunbelt Business Brokers is the largest global business brokerage with 300 licensed offices worldwide. If you are interested in exploring business opportunities or are contemplating the sale of your business, call the Sunbelt Nanaimo office at 1-877-289-0969 or visit www.bcbusinessbroker.ca or www.sunbeltnetwork.com/vancouverisland.

Thanks to Sunbelt, Good Company Steakhouse Finds Perfect Buyer



From left to right: Steve and Cynthia Shann (Former Owners);
 Michael Naprawa, President of Sunbelt Business Brokers in Nanaimo;
Francis Hoogendoorn and Edwin van Duist (New Owners)



From the Netherlands to Canada! A successful European restaurateur embraces the beauty of Vancouver Island. Edwin van Duist is the previous owner of the renowned river-floating pancake restaurant on a ship and the new owner of Good Company Steakhouse in Duncan. It was a fairy tale transaction but the happy ending didn’t come without a few bumps in the road.



Edwin and his family originally made the continental voyage for another business, but the deal fell through. After months of searching, Edwin contacted Sunbelt Nanaimo. Here’s where the story accelerates. “Early one Saturday morning, I received an inquiry from Edwin about one of our business listings,” says Michael Naprawa of Sunbelt. “We met that morning spending two hours discussing his needs & skill set…it was clear that the business he had first inquired about was not a good fit. But I knew of a potential match—only a couple weeks earlier we had a call from a Duncan restaurant owner who wanted to sell, but the listing process had not even begun! By that Friday, an offer was prepared, accepted the week after, and the entire transaction closed within 7 weeks of that first meeting!”

Michael Naprawa who is the owner of Sunbelt Nanaimo says that after five years in the business brokerage industry, Sunbelt has established relationships with a pool of qualified buyers. Their “matchmaking” process between buyers and sellers of businesses makes timely transactions like this one increasingly common. “We were prepared to wait 1-2 years for the business to sell and couldn’t believe it sold so fast,” says Steve & Cynthia Shann of Good Company Steakhouse, who are exceedingly pleased with how Sunbelt handled the smooth transaction. Both parties describe their experience with Sunbelt Nanaimo as “very efficient” and highly recommend Sunbelt Nanaimo for selling or buying a quality business.

As for Good Company Steakhouse, the original owners will stay on during training and transition and business will continue as usual. Drop in for a good meal and experience a warm Dutch welcome from the new owner, Edwin! This is just one of the many success stories that buyers and sellers have had with us.

If you are contemplating the sale of your business, or considering small business ownership, contact the Sunbelt Nanaimo office at 1-877-289-0969.





Waiting to Sell? Don’t Wait Too Long…

As the Baby Boomers continue to enter retirement, our economy faces one of the most dramatic demographic shifts in history.  A sellers’ market and an aging baby-boomer population is causing many entrepreneurs to consider exiting. 

Many business owners wait until retirement to sell, and as baby boomers are getting older, the numbers of businesses for sale is rising. In fact, 57% of business owners identify their age as the main motivation for considering a sale. Over 30% of all business owners in BC are already over the age of 60.  “There’s a whole generation of owners that will need to convert their businesses into cash,” says Michael Naprawa, President of BC Business Brokers, a Vancouver Island-based business brokerage firm.  Fortunately for business owners, the market is ripe.  Mergers and acquisitions is a cyclical industry, and we're in one of the largest sellers' markets that has ever occurred. The current combination of low interest rates and favourable capital gains taxes is making it easier to acquire than grow organically, which means buyers are eager.

Yet business owners tend to procrastinate during the good cycles. According to a recent survey of business owners, 35% held off from selling their business because they anticipated continued growth. Unfortunately, waiting too long is probably the single biggest factor in reducing the proceeds from the sale of a privately held business.What the majority of business owners don’t realize is that you can’t outgrow interest rates, and you can’t outgrow capital gains. The time to sell is when the market is flush with buyers – and the market is flush now. 

If you are interested in selling your business and would like more information, contact our Nanaimo office at 250-751-7917 or 1-877-289-0969 or email us at nanaimo@sunbeltnetwork.com.

The New Job Security

When you think of going into business, what comes to your mind? Most people conjure up visions of a brilliant idea and building a company from scratch—successful for some but not usually without deep pockets, substantial risk and a workaholic lifestyle. There are no existing customers, no sales and little to no immediate revenue. You need to market your business, hire and train employees and hopefully establish a cash flow… all without a track record or reputation to go on.

 

These are some of the benefits of buying a business instead of starting one:

• Less Risk. You walk into an operation that already has revenue and profit.
• Relationships. You have a well established customer base, a good track record and a competitive edge because of the company’s tenure.
• Financing. The banks are more willing to provide financing to buy an existing business versus funding a new venture.
• Employees. Included in the purchase of a business are loyal employees who know every aspect of the company. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel by developing procedures, systems and policies, since the blueprint for running a profitable business is already in place.

Best of all, you don’t have to compete for that ever elusive “secure” corporate position that could evaporate, in the name of downsizing, restructuring or reorganization… taking your benefit package with it. That’s what the new owners Detlev and Anke Braatz considered with their recent purchase of Paulette’s Cleaning Services, a commercial cleaning business on Vancouver Island. “Despite our years of experience and education, we just couldn’t find jobs” says Anke. “So we looked for a business that was up and running, something we could easily do.” Thankfully,” she adds, “our business broker helped us protect our interests with a Due Diligence Checklist, a step-by-step process that was invaluable. Our clients are happy as are our 9 employees and we continue to have the support of the previous owner.”

 

Working for someone else is trading time for money, but doesn’t build equity. As an entrepreneur, you are the master of your own destiny.

 

If you are considering business ownership or the sale of your business, we can help. Visit our local website at http://www.bcbusinessbroker.ca/ or www.sunbeltnetwork.com/vancouverisland or phone 1-877-289-0969.

 

"Investing in a creative economy"

An interesting article in the Financial Post talks about how investors can benefit from investing in a creative economy.

"Rural communities have a unique proposition to offer urban areas and are finding increased success marketing themselves as ideal retirement and tourism locales, in addition to sources of traditional natural resources."

The entire article can be found on Financial Post website.

Source: Financial Post, 2010

What is Sunbelt?

Company Overview

Sunbelt is the largest business brokerage firm in the world, making it the dominant force in the industry. Since 1978, the Company has evolved into a business brokerage network including 300 offices throughout the United States and 30 foreign countries. We currently broker the sale of approximately 4,000 businesses each year.

Our 1,400 business brokerage professionals are dedicated to providing our buyers and sellers with superior service throughout the entire buying or selling process. Sunbelt's experienced methods make the transition smooth and uncomplicated.

Sunbelt business brokerage offices can help those buying or selling a business in any of the four areas of the private business market:


Main Street Businesses

General businesses that usually have gross sales of $1,000,000 or less per year and have 20 or fewer employees (95% of US businesses fall into this category).
Franchise Sales Sunbelt is pleased to be the business brokerage firm that represents a select group of franchisors with a proven track record of success in their field. When you buy a franchise, you are in business for yourself, but not by yourself. These franchisors have proven business systems and known names in their respective markets.


Franchise Resales
Thousands of existing franchise businesses resell every year, often for "human driven" reasons: the owner retires, dies, is in poor health, is getting a divorce, is relocating or experiences other life-changing circumstances। We, as a business brokerage, always want to know why someone is selling a business, and so do you. Depending on the circumstances, the sale of an existing franchise may present a good business opportunity for the buyer. An existing franchise has the advantage of being an existing business plus the ongoing support provided by the franchisor. Those looking to buy a franchise can benefit from the professional assistance provided at Sunbelt.

Middle Market

Sunbelt is a market leader in managing middle market transactions in the range of $3,000,000 - $30,000,000.