(NC) Making a career out of taking raw ingredients or materials, transforming them into something new and selling your product can be both exciting and rewarding. You can use your imagination until it’s just right. But once you’ve cornered your local market, you might want to consider tapping into overseas markets by exporting. If you’re ready to expand, here are two things you should know.

Do your research
The first step in any export plan is to explore potential markets for your product(s) and rule out areas that don’t make economic sense. Once you’ve done your research and are ready to export, look at governmental and trade organizations that can provide guidance, and even funding, to help achieve your goals.

Be certain you are certified
To be able to export a food or beverage product overseas, there are a number of hurdles, the most significant being certification. There is a wide array of specialty labels you might want to include to make your product more enticing to buyers, including the British Retail Consortium, the National Sanitation Foundation, halal, kosher and nut-free. But to legally label your products as such, you’ll need third-party certification.

The federal government’s AgriAssurance Program has a specific component for small- and medium-sized businesses, including farmers and other food producers, tailored to help meet certification requirements. This program is limited to businesses with less than 500 employees and annual revenues that do not exceed $100 million.

Find more information at agriculture.canada.ca/agriassurance-sme.