B.C. food and beverage processor programs and services

Advisory services
Connects prospective, new or established food and beverage processors with an industry specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food for advice, technical support and referral services. Contact a specialist today:  
AgriServiceBC@gov.bc.ca 

A start-up guide for your business
First steps involve business planning, determining market opportunities  and networking to find the knowledge, expertise and resources required. 

Running your processing business
Manage your business to keep it running smoothly, profitably and sustainably. 

Food safety
As a regulated industry, you are required to implement formal food safety plans to ensure your products are safe for consumption. Build and maintain a strong food safety culture in your processing facility. 

Innovation and technology
Agile business practices in challenging times can help overcome barriers to the success of your company.

B.C. Food Hub Network
Fosters growth and innovation  in the processing sector through  shared-use processing facilities  across the province for your small business. Grow your business in a supportive environment.

Regulation and certification standards  
Food safety and labeling regulations apply to the food and beverage processing sector. In addition, processed products may also need to meet the regulations and certification standards of other jurisdictions to be sold outside of B.C. Follow what applies to your business

Indigenous Pathfinder Service
The B.C. Indigenous Pathfinder Service is a free support and referral resource for Indigenous farmers, food producers, businesses, and organizations in British Columbia. It helps navigate information, tools, programs, services, and funding opportunities in the agriculture and food sector, including pathways relevant to Indigenous seafood producers and processors.

Sourcing raw material
A well-designed business plan provides a strategy for acquiring raw materials from across the province and internationally. This is necessary to operate the business and provide quality products. Is your strategy up to date?

Market development
Offers services that inform and prepare processors to take advantage of existing and emerging market opportunities, from local farmers’ markets to the growing markets of Asia, Europe and other parts of the world. 

Buy BC logo licensing
Adding the Buy BC logo to product packaging makes it easier for consumers to identify made in B.C. products. Register for free at any time and learn the value of Buy BC.

B.C. Agri-Business Planning
Offers specialized business planning. As an eligible applicant, you can  access funding towards business planning services from a qualified business consultant. 

Buy BC Partnership
Provides cost-shared funding to producers, processors, and associations to support marketing activities that increase sales and build consumer awareness of agriculture, food, and beverage products within B.C.

BC Agriculture and Food Export
Provides cost-shared funding to eligible businesses and associations to undertake market development activities outside of B.C. The program aims to increase sales, reduce market risk, and enhance long-term sustainability for B.C.’s agriculture, food and beverage exporters, enabling them to maintain, expand and diversify export markets.

Knowledge and Technology Transfer
Provides cost-shared funding for organizations to deliver training 
for agricultural producers and food processors in B.C. This program funds learning activities that help producers and processors build skills, adopt best practices, address emerging challenges, and stay competitive in changing environmental, production, and market conditions.

Processor Productivity Program
Supports B.C. food and beverage processors in increasing productivity, improving operational efficiency, and strengthening competitiveness through structured Operational Assessment, Lean training and cost-share funding.

Food safety
Seeks to increase adoption of new or improving existing food safety practices and systems by B.C. on-farm and B.C. post-farm businesses to enable the B.C. agrifood sector to meet existing and new national and international food safety regulatory requirements. The program provides cost-shared funding to eligible B.C. farm-based  and post-farm agri-food businesses (e.g., processing, packaging, warehousing, transporting, distributing, and importing operations) to increase adoption of food safety practices. 

Traceability Adoption Program
Supports B.C. agriculture, food and seafood businesses, and sector organizations to purchase and install traceability systems, practices, infrastructure and technologies.