Closed
Support for biofood exports - individual projects
SEB supports Quebec agri-food market expansion outside Quebec
Last Update: April 2, 2026
Funding available
$ 15,000 - $ 100,000
Timeline
- Open Date : May 20, 2025
- Closing date : April 2, 2026
Location
Quebec, Canada
Overview
The SEB program, funded by MAPAQ, offers financial assistance of up to $100,000 for regular projects and $250,000 for large exporter projects to support Quebec-based agri-food businesses in increasing sales outside Quebec through marketing and market development activities. Eligible activities include expenses for trade shows, marketing, business development fees, and travel outside Quebec.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Access new markets
- Launch or market a product/service
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 100,000 $
- Minimum amount : 15,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
Timeline
- Open Date : May 20, 2025
- Closing date : April 2, 2026
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
Location
- Quebec
Legal structures
- For-profit business
Annual revenue
- $ 1,000,000 minimum revenue
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Canadians
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Development and implementation of export marketing strategies for biofood products outside Quebec.
- Projects to prepare for entry into new Canadian (outside Quebec) or international markets, or to consolidate and diversify current export markets.
- Market expansion initiatives targeting specific provinces in Canada (outside Quebec) and foreign countries.
- Promotion and business development activities to increase sales of Quebec agri-food products in new markets.
- Twelve-month projects aimed at strengthening the market presence of Quebec-based agri-food companies beyond Quebec.
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Companies whose main economic activity is food processing
- Agricultural operations
- Companies in the fisheries sector
- Companies in the commercial aquaculture sector
- Companies that subcontract all their food processing in Quebec
Who is not eligible
- Groupings of companies (consortiums or associations of multiple businesses submitting a joint application).
- Companies whose main products are natural health products (bearing a Natural Product Number, NPN, or falling under natural health products regulations).
- Companies whose projects involve products with a Drug Identification Number (DIN).
- Companies commercializing products that are laboratory-grown food, cell-cultured food, ornamental horticulture products, animal feed, seeds, saplings, tobacco, or food products containing CBC or THC.
- Companies that have never exported outside Quebec.
Eligible expenses
- Fees related to GS1 product registry (subscription, registration, and associated services such as barcodes, GTIN, marketing content, planography content).
- Salary, social charges, and benefits (up to 26% of salary) for a full-time market development specialist dedicated to export sales outside Quebec, or the salary difference in case of internal promotion to this role (maximum 52 weeks).
- Professional external fees for eligible marketing activities (e.g., market research studies, consumer surveys, in-store tastings, adaptation of packaging and labels, content creation for advertising, translation, and traditional/online promotional activities).
- External business development fees, including fixed monthly fees for brokers or specialists in client prospecting and merchandising (excluding commissions), trademark registration, updating commercialization or international market plans, establishing an office or subsidiary outside Quebec (excluding the U.S.), first-year rental of office space abroad (excluding the U.S.), association memberships, B2B platform subscriptions, and business sample shipments.
- Costs for participation in professional trade shows (registration, booth rental, equipment, exhibit set-up, transport and handling of materials, shipment of product samples to events).
- Travel and accommodation costs for employees traveling outside Quebec for market development missions or trade show participation, reimbursed as a flat-rate amount by destination, up to 24 trips per project and 2 employees per trip.
- Travel and accommodation costs for hosting potential buyers from outside Quebec, reimbursed as a flat-rate amount by country of origin.
Eligible geographic areas
- Quebec
Additional information
- The program requires submission of a detailed, recent (less than two years old) export marketing plan as part of the application.
- Applications and required attachments must be submitted in French, and all requested supporting documents must be transmitted in a single package.
- A final project report is mandatory at the end of the project and is required to qualify for future funding rounds.
- Document naming conventions and organization are specified and must be respected to ensure proper processing of the application.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the Support for biofood exports - individual projects Program
Here are answers to the most common questions about the Support for biofood exports - individual projects. This section explains what the program is, how much funding is available, eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and other important details to help you determine if this grant is right for your business.
What is the Support for biofood exports - individual projects?
The SEB program, funded by MAPAQ, offers financial assistance of up to $100,000 for regular projects and $250,000 for large exporter projects to support Quebec-based agri-food businesses in increasing sales outside Quebec through marketing and market development activities. Eligible activities include expenses for trade shows, marketing, business development fees, and travel outside Quebec.
How much funding can be received?
Support for biofood exports - individual projects Funds up to 50% of admissible expenses, capped at $100,000 per project.
What is the deadline to apply?
The application deadline for this grant program was April 2, 2026.
Who is eligible for the Support for biofood exports - individual projects program?
To be eligible for the Support for biofood exports - individual projects program, you must:
Must be registered in the Quebec Business Registry with an establishment operating in Quebec
Must be primarily a food processor, agricultural operation, fisheries or aquaculture company, or subcontract all food processing in Quebec
What expenses are eligible under Support for biofood exports - individual projects?
Development and implementation of export marketing strategies for biofood products outside Quebec.
Projects to prepare for entry into new Canadian (outside Quebec) or international markets, or to consolidate and diversify current export markets.
Market expansion initiatives targeting specific provinces in Canada (outside Quebec) and foreign countries.
Promotion and business development activities to increase sales of Quebec agri-food products in new markets.
Twelve-month projects aimed at strengthening the market presence of Quebec-based agri-food companies beyond Quebec.
Who can I contact for more information about the Support for biofood exports - individual projects?
You can contact Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) by email at seb@groupexport.ca or by phone at 4506496266.
Where is the Support for biofood exports - individual projects available?
The Support for biofood exports - individual projects program is available the province of Quebec.