Forget Wayne Gretsky, Celine Dion and Dan Akroyd. Canada’s hottest new export to its southern neighbors is an unlikely (and dead) ex-hockey legend, one Tim Horton. Martin Lindstrom visits Ohio and one of the 340 Tim Horton restaurants now in the USA (and spreading fast). This is a Canadian success story (2,700 stores coast-to-coast) that has carved out a niche in a market that is neither fast food, nor specialist coffee either. What is it, then? Tim Horton’s is a right-priced, quick-service restaurant chain that focuses on quality and absolute freshness – and more. Its “always fresh” coffee, baked goods and homestyle lunches, served in real china bowls and on stainless steel plates, is a refreshing change from the impersonal paper and plastic genre that has dominated this sector for decades. Brands like Tim Hortons will grow in recessionary times because they will not compromise on the essentials. They remain, uncomplicated, passionate and considerate – and thus uniquely Canadian, something that has always made them attractive south of the border.