Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked before a diagnostic is commissioned. If yours is not here, write to us: we reply within 24 hours.
The diagnostic
What exactly is the 3-week diagnostic?
A field analysis, not an off-the-shelf report. Week 1: scoping, target market, regulatory obstacles. Week 2: direct contact with suppliers, warehouses, freight forwarders and authorities — figures are verified on site. Week 3: full report, qualified contacts, risk matrix and action plan. Six levers are coordinated by a single point of contact: diagnostic, suppliers and partners, logistics and transport, warehousing, compliance, local coordination.
What exactly do you deliver at the end?
Three concrete deliverables: a verified cost range (not an estimate), a contact book of qualified suppliers (suppliers, warehouses, forwarders, distributors) ready to use, and a prioritised risk matrix with actionable recommendations, completed by a milestone-based action plan. You also follow progress in a shared dashboard, phase by phase.
What is the one-week express diagnostic?
A short format for a narrower scope: one product, one province, one supply chain. It gives you a validated range, first compliance checks and shortlisted contacts. If your project covers several products, several provinces or a heavy regulatory file, the 3-week format is the right one — we tell you which of the two fits your case during the 20-minute call.
How much does it cost?
We do not publish a standard price, because no two food projects require the same work: number of product categories, number of target provinces, whether the product is supply-managed, whether a full CFIA file is needed. After the 20-minute call you receive a firm written price within 48 hours, with no commitment on your side. Both tools on this site (calculator and simulator) are free and already give you an order of magnitude before any conversation.
How does payment work?
50% on order, 50% on delivery of the report. No cost is added without your written agreement.
Is travel included?
Travel within Canada is quoted as a flat fee stated in the written proposal, before any commitment. You know exactly what you pay, and nothing is added along the way without your agreement.
What do you need from me to start?
Three things are enough: your product specifications (composition, format, ex-works price), your expected volumes and your certifications (organic, IFS, BRC, halal…). Everything else — suppliers, warehouses, carriers, real lead times — is our field work.
Do I need to be exporting already?
No. We work both with companies selling in their home country and wanting to open the Canadian market, and with companies already shipping to Canada wanting to structure their costs. We work with food SMEs wherever they come from.
Who does the work, and in which language?
One single point of contact, who drives the file end to end: Coordilis grew out of the experience of an entrepreneur who built his own coffee-roasting business from scratch and coordinated import-export and B2B expansion projects. Calls and deliverables are in French or English.
The Canadian market and regulation
What is the CFIA, and why is it unavoidable?
The CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, « ACIA » in French) governs food imports into Canada. In practice: the importer must hold a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, declare imports, keep documented preventive controls, and some products also require an import permit. This is where the most under-prepared projects fail — which is why it sits at the heart of the diagnostic.
Is bilingual labelling mandatory?
Yes for prepackaged foods sold to consumers: mandatory information must appear in both French and English, in the prescribed formats (ingredient list, allergens, nutrition facts table, origin, net quantity). Recipe and label review is part of the diagnostic.
Will my product face customs duties? Is CETA enough?
Not always, and this is the costliest trap. CETA reduces or eliminates duties for products that meet the rules of origin, but it does not solve supply management: dairy, cheese, poultry, eggs. For cheese, CETA access runs through a quota of about 18,500 tonnes; above it, over-quota duties are in the order of 245%. Our simulators show an indicative range and flag this case explicitly: the diagnostic establishes the actual tariff classification of your product, line by line.
Do I need to set up a company in Canada?
Not always: you can import as such and work with a distributor, or incorporate a Canadian entity. The choice depends on your tax structure, your exposure and your horizon. The diagnostic costs out both paths and coordinates with a Canadian tax adviser and lawyer — we provide neither legal nor tax advice.
Can I sell across all of Canada?
The market is Canadian, but go-to-market is largely provincial. Alcoholic beverages go through provincial monopolies (SAQ in Quebec, LCBO in Ontario, and so on), grocery chains negotiate region by region, and storage requirements vary. That is why the diagnostic starts with one target province, then expands.
How long between the diagnostic and the first sale?
It mostly depends on two factors: how long authorisations take (licence, permits, labelling) and the listing decision by a distributor or a retail banner. Rather than quoting an average that would not hold for your product, the diagnostic gives you the real milestones of your case, with critical dates and identified blockers.
The calculator and the simulator
Where do the simulator's figures come from?
From three sources, all displayed under the charts: your assumptions (volumes, freight, rent, salaries you enter), public statistics for provincial indices (Statistics Canada 14-10-0064-01, manufacturing, 2024-2025 average) and broker reports for warehouse rents (CBRE Q2 2026, net asking rent, Greater Montreal base). The “Assumptions” line also lists the model's fixed values, including the ones usually hidden elsewhere.
What do P10, P50 and P90 mean?
They are percentiles of 10,000 simulations: in 8 cases out of 10 your 12-month cost falls between P10 and P90; P50 is the median. It is not a single number but a distribution — because an expansion cost has no certain value until it is verified on the ground.
Does the simulator replace the diagnostic?
No, and it does not claim to. The simulator answers “how much, roughly?” from public values and your assumptions. The diagnostic answers “with whom, how, and at what exact price?”: negotiated supplier prices, actually available warehouses, actually required permits, risk matrix. One prepares the other.
What if the diagnostic contradicts the simulator?
That is the point. The simulator works from starting values; the field gives real prices, real lead times and real obstacles. The report states the gaps against the starting assumptions, line by line. A tool that always returns the same answer is useless.
Your data
What do you do with my data in the simulator?
Your simulations and actual costs stay private. They feed sector comparisons only when anonymised and pooled, only if you ticked the consent box, and only from 10 projects in a segment. We do not sell your information, and share it only with the technical service providers needed to run the service. You can ask for deletion at any time, in accordance with Quebec's Law 25 (privacy policy).
Does my project information stay confidential?
Yes. Your documents, prices and volumes are shared with no third party — including the suppliers we contact on your behalf — without your written agreement. The scope of what we may share, and with whom, is agreed with you during scoping.
A question that is not here?
Write to [email protected], or ask for a 20-minute call: it is the fastest way to find out whether a diagnostic makes sense for your project. And if you want to size your project first, the calculator and the simulator are free.