Support for Ontario Processors and Producers for Market Development

Ontario’s Grow Ontario Market Initiative advertises 50% non-repayable (grant) funding up to $60,000 to provincial food producers and processors towards supporting third-party expenses for expanding domestic or export markets.

Activities funded by the program are:

1. market analysis and planning:
   • • market analysis, life cycle analysis and/or a marketing plan for a new product and/or a new or expanded existing market.
     • investigation of regulatory or certification standards, or requirements needed to access a new market (such as food product labels, preparation of nutritional panels and other required label information for domestic and international markets and trade issues)
2. new product development:
   • • regulatory review for new products
     • ingredient, material. or packaging sourcing
     • formulation development
     • scale-up trials
     • shelf-life determination
     • testing or analysis to verify and complement development process including:
       • nutritional, microbial, chemical, allergen or
       • sensory/consumer
     • package testing to ensure compatibility with product.
     • labelling development and design for marketing purposes
     • labelling development for a new product to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
3. marketing products:
   • • brand development
     • focus group and/or consumer studies.
     • product demonstrations
     • new promotional material development (such as advertisements, brochures, videos, website development/updates, social media posts, tradeshow booth/display development)
     • new product marketing campaigns for domestic and international markets
     • new sales, marketing and promotional activities or events (such as trade missions, tradeshows, buyer meetings/demonstrations)
     • product samples (not from normal production) for export-only market research, tradeshow, or specific events (such as pilot plant samples made specifically for marketing purposes) activities related to the domestic marketing and product development of Aquaculture as well as Fish and Seafood Processing

Applicants may submit a maximum of 2 applications/projects under the initiative at any given time. Only expenses incurred after receiving funding approval are eligible. Cannabis processors and producers are eligible but, as per program guidelines orange growers are ineligible.   Funding is limited applying early.