SIAM key parameters.
Who qualifies for SIAM?
- Food processing companies registered in Quebec (REQ)
- Agri-processors meeting specific conditions
- Companies subcontracting food transformation to Quebec facilities
- Annual revenues above $250,000
- Marketing Quebec food products for at least one year
- Non-profit organizations
- Companies not registered with REQ
- Offers not composed primarily of Quebec products
- Below $250,000 annual revenue threshold
- Insufficient financial capacity or solvency
What SIAM funds.
- Commercialization activities to access a new market (food service, institutional)
- New strategy for entering an additional segment (new retail chains)
- Expanding market presence from regional to full provincial network
- Participation in professional industry trade shows linked to long-circuit commercialization
- Website development to facilitate sales and promotion in new markets
What costs are covered?
- GS1 Canada fees (registration, subscriptions, services)
- Market development / marketing specialist salary (up to 52 weeks)
- External professional fees: market research, surveys, market tests
- Content design (label/packaging adaptation for new markets)
- Printing plates and matrices for adaptations
- Media and advertising placement
- Social media management and influencer/brand ambassador fees
- Retailer listing fees for new product introduction
- Market strategy update consulting fees
- Trademark registration (CIPO)
- First-year professional association membership
- Website development for commercialization
- B2B platform subscriptions
- Prospecting/merchandising professional fees
- SEAO access and subscription fees
- Trade show participation (registration, booth, equipment, setup)
What does not qualify.
- Applications submitted after the program closes
- Cost of products consumed at marketing, tasting, or trade show activities
- Disposables at trade shows (napkins, disposable spoons, etc.)
- Small appliances, cooking or preparation equipment and accessories
- Public market, festival, craft fair, or corporate events
Your questions about SIAM.
What is the SIAM program?
SIAM (Soutien à l'innovation et à l'accès aux marchés) is administered by Aliments du Québec and funds Quebec food processors' market development activities within Quebec and Canada. Unlike SEB which targets exports outside Quebec, SIAM supports domestic market penetration: new retail chains, food service, institutional buyers, and provincial network expansion.
Is SIAM currently accepting applications?
No. Applications are currently suspended per the official Aliments du Québec notice. Hubvention monitors for reopening to activate prepared mandates immediately. When open, SIAM operates on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Preparing your file now positions you to submit within the first days of reopening, when approval odds are highest.
How much does SIAM provide?
SIAM covers up to 50% of eligible costs, with a minimum grant of $10,000 and maximum of $100,000. A market development specialist salary component is capped at 52 consecutive weeks. The grant is non-repayable and disbursed in tranches tied to project milestones.
What is the minimum revenue to qualify?
Companies must have annual revenues above $250,000. They must also have been marketing Quebec food products for at least one year, be registered with the Registre des entreprises du Québec (REQ), and have sufficient financial capacity assessed by Aliments du Québec.
Can SIAM be combined with other programs?
Yes, SIAM can be stacked with other public aid programs within Aliments du Québec's cumulation limits. For companies also targeting markets outside Quebec, SEB (Groupe Export / MAPAQ) handles those export activities, making SEB + SIAM a natural domestic + export combination for Quebec food companies.
What documents does SIAM require?
SIAM requires: a completed pre-qualification and financial data form, three years of external financial statements (prepared by a CPA), a completed funding application form, a project cost and financial structure form, and supporting documents depending on the project (business plan, schedule, service quotes, agreements, CVs, job descriptions, org charts before/after).
What markets does SIAM target?
SIAM targets the Quebec and Canadian domestic market — food service, institutional buyers, retail chains. It is not an export program. Funded activities include entering new retail chains, expanding from regional to provincial distribution, and trade show participation. For export outside Quebec, the SEB program applies.
How does Hubvention support a SIAM application?
Hubvention prepares the complete SIAM file in advance of reopening: eligibility audit, project narrative, budget structuring, financial forms, and supporting documentation. We file immediately upon reopening to maximize early-window approval chances.
SIAM — Start your file.
We handle the full mandate: eligibility audit, file structuring, submission, follow-up.
- Structured mandate
- Confidentiality guaranteed
- 20 minutes