EDC Celebrates Canadian Business Ambition with Café William Brand Film

​Export Development Canada (EDC) has unveiled a new brand film spotlighting Canadian coffee company Café William, directed by Daniel Green and produced by NativeFour in partnership with McCann Canada.

The campaign follows the journey of a coffee bean from soil to sip — beginning on Indigenous farms in Colombia, crossing the open oceans off Brazil, and arriving at Café William’s production facility in Quebec. The story stands as a metaphor for the possibilities of Canadian businesses expanding globally, a core mission of EDC.

Creative approach

Director Daniel Green merges documentary intimacy with cinematic precision, capturing the humanity at the heart of Café William’s supply chain. His approach focuses on proximity, staying close to real people and real textures, while using composition, light, and pacing to create a sense of quiet grandeur.

The film’s tone is rooted in optimism and possibility, reflecting how trade connects communities across borders. Through the journey of a coffee bean, Green portrays the interdependence between growers, exporters, and innovators – and the role EDC plays in helping Canadian companies navigate that global exchange.

Production approach

Filming spanned three countries with vastly different environments: the ANEI Indigenous coffee-growing community in Colombia, the Atlantic coast of Brazil, and Café William’s production facility in Quebec.

“Filming in these remote and ever-changing environments required both intimacy and agility,” said Daniel. “Our goal was to create a piece that felt immersive and human, taking viewers along for the global journey.”

The visual language embraced warm golden hour light, handheld movement, and organic textures. Green chose the ARRI ALEXA 35 with ARRI Signature Primes, capturing in ARRIRAW for its tonal depth. In post, colourist Matt Osborne at Company 3 unified the diverse environments into a cohesive colour palette.

Collaboration with indigenous farmers

Upon arriving in Colombia, the production team was invited by the ANEI Indigenous farmers to participate in a traditional ceremony of planting a tree and offering prayers of gratitude. "It was a profound experience,” said Daniel. “We wanted to approach their community with humility and respect. That foundation guided every creative and production decision we made.”

Behind the scenes

Coordinating a three-country production required precision at every level. NativeFour served as the connective tissue that made the project possible. “Working on a campaign like this means balancing precision with presence,” said Dilan Mistry, executive producer at NativeFour. “Our team’s goal was to build the structure that allowed creativity to flow freely in these remote environments. When production runs seamlessly, you can focus entirely on capturing the human moments that matter.”