Government Funding for Food and Beverage Brands in 2026

Food and beverage is one of the few sectors in Canada with funding streams at every level. Federal agriculture programs, provincial agri-food funds, and general small business grants all overlap here. The practical problem for most founders is that agriculture-specific programs aren't always obvious if you think of yourself as a packaged goods brand rather than a food producer.

Agri-food and agriculture programs

Programs supporting food processing, packaging innovation, and agricultural technology adoption are open to CPG and beverage brands, not just farms. If your product touches processing, packaging automation, or ingredient sourcing innovation, check the agri-food-specific funds even if "agriculture" doesn't describe your brand.

Provincial buy-local and market access programs

Several provinces run programs supporting local food and beverage brands getting into retail, covering costs like packaging redesign, certification, or retail listing fees. These are smaller grants individually, but they have a noticeably lower bar to qualify than federal R&D-style programs.

Export funding for food brands going abroad

CanExport applies to food and beverage exporters the same way it applies to any exporting business, covering trade show and market entry costs for brands expanding beyond Canada.

Next steps

Run FundScout's free eligibility check to see which agri-food and general funding programs apply to your brand. Check your matches.