Are you a CSA Farm in Ontario?
Do you normally sell in your farm store or farmers market?
E-commerce for your Agri Food business may be the answer.
Government of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has just launched an Agri-Food Open for E-Business initiative.
The first funding stream is to Bring Your Business Online: Provides a grant of up to $5,000 to eligible organizations/businesses to help establish an online e-business and marketing presence. Funding under this stream will be quick and responsive for those needing immediate solutions.
Target Audience
Eligible agriculture, agri-food and agri-products businesses/organizations (such as farmers, processors, individual farmers markets, on-farm markets, retailers, garden centres, greenhouses, nurseries and agricultural associations) that are looking to bring their business online quickly can apply to receive a grant of up to $5,000 in order to capture business opportunities and address marketing challenges through a new, expanded or enhanced online e-business and marketing presence.
Stream 1 Priorities
Agri-food and agri-products businesses develop market channels to retain and/or expand sales with primary objective of bringing products to customers.
Eligible Activities
Costs Incurred on or after April 24, 2020 for the following:
- Development, enhancement and expansion of an online marketing/sales platform (e.g. e-commerce capability, website, online ordering, overall online presence)
- Initial or start-up licensing or subscription fees up to six months
- Domain acquisition
- Website design and graphic development
- Marketing (e.g. Search Engine Optimization, web ads, building social media presence)
- Distribution system/model development
- Training key personnel on processes
- Initial development and validation of new operational processes, including creating processes for logistics of delivery through new marketing channels, shipping, delivery, fulfillment, warehousing and related transactions
- Piloting sales practices and systems
- Minor facility modifications to address social distancing requirements that are directly related to the project (e.g. curb side pickup for online orders)
Ineligible Activities
Activities that create new Ontario only branding in order to explicitly promote Ontario products over products of another Province or Territory
Read more about E-Commerce Solutions