SEB is a financial assistance program funded by the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ). It targets individual market development projects outside Quebec for Quebec-based agri-food businesses.
Please refer to the Applicant’s Guide for all the details.
Program Objectives
The program is officially closed. We recommend you to keep informed for the next reopening.
The objective of this program is to support individual marketing and market development projects designed to increase sales of Quebec agri-food products on markets outside Quebec.
These individual projects will enable eligible exporting businesses to:
- prepare for and enter a new market;
- consolidate and diversify their market presence.
Program Launch
The prequalification period has ended on January 31st. For any questions regarding the SEB program, companies are invited to contact seb@groupexport.ca.
Eligible companies
To be eligible, companies must be registered with the Quebec Business Registry, have an establishment operating in Quebec, and meet at least one of the following criteria:
- be a food processor
- be an agricultural operation
- be in the fisheries or commercial aquaculture sector
- be a company that subcontracts its food processing. Such applicants must meet the following requirements to be eligible:
- subcontracting is primarily assigned to one or more food processing establishments in Quebec
- if all food processing is subcontracted, the applicant must declare an economic activity associated with the food or beverage industry to the Quebec Business Registry (REQ).
- the project involves the applicant’s own food products processed in Quebec, or those processed by subcontractors.
Furthermore, depending on the targeted export market, the eligible company must meet all of the following criteria:
For a project targeting Canada (outside Quebec), the eligible company must:
- have achieved a minimum annual revenue of $1 million.
- hold a license from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the Safe Food for Canadian Regulations (SFCR).
- have been marketing its products on foreign markets for two years or demonstrate that it sells its products on a regular basis in at least one other Canadian province or territory.
For an international project (outside Canada), the eligible company must:
- have achieved a minimum annual revenue of $2 million
- hold a license from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the Safe Food for Canadian Regulations (SFCR)
- have been marketing its products on foreign markets for three years, or demonstrate that it has been selling its products internationally on a regular basis for at least one year
- hold a Canada Revenue Agency import-export program account
Companies that have never exported are not eligible for financial assistance.
Eligible Projects
Regular individual project:
- aim for a 12-month duration
- implement marketing and market development activities to consolidate or diversify one or more markets outside Canada (Quebec) and international market, or enter one or more new markets outside Canada (Quebec) and international markets
- involve eligible expenses of at least $10,000
Large Exporter Individual Project:
- have export sales of over $25 million
- aim for 24-month duration
- implement marketing and market development activities to consolidate or diversify a market outside Canada, or enter a new market outside Canada
- involve eligible expenses of at least $125,000
Pre-commercialization projects are not eligible for financial assistance.
Financial Assistance
| Project Category | Percentage of eligible expenses* | Maximum Financial Assistance |
| Regular | 50% | $100,000 |
| Large Exporter | 50% | $250,000 |
- A bonus of 10% of eligible expenses is offered to companies whose export project predominantly involves certified organic food products.
Eligible Expenses
Planned expenses must include one or more activities outlined in the Applicant’s Guide; the following categories of activities are eligible :
- GS1 Product Registry
- Salary of a market development specialist
- Marketing
- Business development (fees)
- Trade shows
- Travel and stays outside Quebec
- Hosting potential clients in Quebec
From which date are expenses eligible?
The project start date must be on or after the pre-qualification submission date.
Project Selection
All complete applications for financial assistance, for which both the company and the project are eligible, will be analyzed. This analysis will be based on the following criteria:
- Project relevance and quality:
- Structured approach and level of company preparation
- Alignment between the activities and the company’s objectives
- Demonstration of realistic potential benefits in Quebec
- The company’s ability to carry out the project
- Demonstration that the project supports the SEB objective
Projects will be received on an ongoing basis until available funds are exhausted.
Application processing steps
- Step 1: Pre-qualification
- Step 2: Submission of a complete financial assistance application
- Step 3: Analysis of the complete financial assistance application.
Steps to apply to an individual financial assistance
- Download the pre-qualification form (Step 1).
- Submit a complete financial assistance application (Step 2).
Once the pre-qualification process has been completed satisfactorily, the Group will email the forms required to submit a financial assistance application, including:
- application form accompanied by a recent export marketing plan
- project cost form with supporting documents for selected activities
Applicants will have 4 weeks to submit their application.
- Analysis of the application (Step 3).
Payment of Financial Assistance
The Group informs the company of the granted amount and the terms of the financial assistance in a contribution agreement. The Group receives and verifies the supporting documents according to established procedures before paying out the financial assistance.
Information
If you have any questions about the SEB program, please contact us at seb@groupexport.ca.
Lyne Desmarais, Advisor, Government Programs
Hicham El Ghissassi, Vice President, Government Programs and Market Development