About Baltic InCan Trade
Trade is something I've understood, not just studied.
I'm Shanky Gondal, the founder. Here's how living in eight countries and a career in hospitality turned into an international sourcing and trade business.
The path here
Eight countries, one pattern
I've spent most of my adult life exploring the world and working in hospitality, living and working across many countries, from Canada's west coast to Central Europe and the Baltics.
Hospitality puts you in a strange, useful position: every day, you're the person standing between two sides who've never met, a guest and a city, a traveller and a place to sleep, making sure both trust the exchange enough to have a good experience. Do that across enough countries, and you start noticing the same pattern everywhere else. The food in the breakfast buffet, the toiletries in the guest bathroom, the almonds in the snack bowl at reception: nearly everything had already crossed two or three borders before it reached the table. Trade wasn't an abstract economic idea to me. It was the invisible layer underneath every operation I ever ran.
Real connections
Good trade starts with good relationships
What turned that observation into a business wasn't a plan on paper. My family in California's Central Valley grows almonds, and we wanted to expand into new markets where we could create a positive impact for communities and the wider economy.
We want to source directly, connecting buyers and suppliers across borders through direct relationships, thoughtful sourcing and shared opportunities.
Better connections. More transparent sourcing. Trade with purpose.
Connections
Where our sourcing connections lie.
California
Family almond growing
My family grows almonds in California's Central Valley.
India
Direct supplier contacts
Direct supplier contacts in India for ingredients such as essential oils and brown sugar.
Canada
A Canadian connection
I'm Canadian, which makes Canada a natural place to source ingredients such as maple products, dried berries and flaxseeds.
Europe
European buyers
Building relationships with European buyers and connecting them with the right sourcing opportunities.
Why Estonia
An EU base, with regional reach.
Baltic InCan Trade OÜ is registered in Tallinn (registry code 17443960). Estonia gives the company a home inside the European Union, close to the Baltic and Nordic markets, with company administration that can be handled largely online.
Estonia and the wider Baltic region are also a potential source of products, so the business can help connect regional producers with international buyers, not only bring products in.
How I work
The same job, different product.
Direct communication
Relationship-led sourcing
I work with people I can talk to directly, a grower, a supplier, a producer, and you deal with me rather than a rotating queue.
Clear information
Clear about what's confirmed
Almonds are where we start. Other sourcing lines are developed with the same care, and we're clear about what has been confirmed and what is still being assessed.
Hospitality instinct
Trust before transaction
Years of managing guest experience taught me that trust is built in the small, consistent details: documentation, communication, follow-through, not in fancy sales pitches.
Long-term view
A route, not a one-off sale
The goal is a lasting trade route between these markets, growing as each relationship, on both the sourcing and buying side, proves itself.
Get in touch
Let's talk about what you're sourcing.
I'd rather have a direct conversation than a form letter. Reach out and tell me what you're looking for.