Let’s say your family owns a grain trading house in Turkey. It’s been good business, especially the market you’ve built up over the past 50 years trading pulse crops. But lately, the farmers around you have stopped planting pulses as weather conditions and government programs persuade them to grow other crops.
In desperation, at first you begin to import more and more pulses from a place halfway around the world. It’s Saskatchewan, a place with a funny name that you can barely pronounce, much less fathom the region s unique and exotic customs.
Read Also
Country Guide’s top 10 stories of 2024
All year, Country Guide has published content highlighting the conversations that drive farm families, their businesses and the industry forward….
You’ve heard of a game there that involves sliding heavy rocks on frozen water. There’s another called hockey, where you strap knives to your feet and chase a little rubber disc also on frozen water.
They seem to enjoy country music and you re told the national drink is something called Pilsner. Everyone you meet seems to be emotionally invested in football, but they play it without a net!
International business is never easy and it’s never been more necessary. But the history of international business is littered with the bones of companies that simply didn’t take into account the culture gap, and failed spectacularly as a result.
There’s the company that exported cooking oil to Latin America without realizing the brand name translated literally to Jackass Oil. Or American Motors, back in the day, marketing the Matador in Puerto Rico only to find out later that in the local dialect in meant killer hardly a hit on a mountainous island with steep and winding roads.
There are also the every day slips that can insult your host, such as relaxing with your feet on your desk in Saudi Arabia, or not finishing the last drop of your tea in Japan.
It’s a minefield, and more and more companies are looking for experienced guides to help them navigate a safe path through it.
Now, let’s return to our Turkish pulse traders. The company and situation are real. Arbel Group, based in the Mediterranean port city of Mersin, has been one of the leading pulse traders in the region for a half-century.
