Ready. Set. Sell! Mastering Ontario’s Food & Beverage and Natural Health Product Market

Unlock your growth potential in Ontario’s booming food & beverage and natural health market.

Invest Nova Scotia invites agri-food & beverage and seafood companies with natural health products (NHP) to participate in this four-part virtual training and coaching series based on the “C.A.R.T. Masterclass Program” designed to help you refine your sales strategy, strengthen your retail execution, and confidently expand into Ontario.

What is C.A.R.T.

The C.A.R.T. (Consumer–Alignment–Retail–Trust) Program is a specialized growth training developed for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) companies. This hands-on program helps you:

• Understand your consumer – Identify who buys your products and what drives their choices.
• Align with market demand – Tailor your offerings to meet the needs of Ontario retailers, distributors, and online marketplaces.
• Build a winning retail plan – Develop an actionable, strategic roadmap for sales success.
• Earn trust – Strengthen relationships with key players across the value chain.

Who should participate

This workshop is ideal for export-ready companies that:

• Currently sell agri-food & beverage, seafood, and NHP and want to expand in Ontario.
• Are entering the market for the first time.
• Want to sharpen their retail strategy and boost sales performance.

Program format

Delivered over eight weeks, this virtual series combines interactive group workshops and personalized one-on-one coaching to help you apply the C.A.R.T. framework directly to your business.

• Workshops — Engaging four-hour weekly virtual sessions that cover each stage of the C.A.R.T. process.
• Coaching Sessions — Between workshops, your company will receive a dedicated private two-hour session with the consultant to apply what you’ve learned.

Schedule

Week 1

• Workshops: November 18 & 19, 2025 from 10:00 am—12:00 pm
• Coaching Sessions: November 24—28, 2025 (2 hours).  Companies will be contacted directly to schedule date/time.

Week 2

• Workshops: December 10 & 11, 2025 from 10:00 am—12:00 pm
• Coaching Sessions: December 15—18, 2025 (2 hours). Companies will be contacted directly to schedule date/time.

Week 3

• Workshops: January 7 & 8, 2026, from 10:00 am—12:00 pm
• Coaching Sessions: January 12—16, 2026 (2 hours). Companies will be contacted directly to schedule date/time.

Week 4

• Workshops: January 20 & 21, 2026, from 10:00 am—12:00 pm
• Coaching Sessions: January 26—30, 2026 (2 hours). Companies will be contacted directly to schedule date/time.

What you’ll gain from the C.A.R.T. Masterclass

• Increase insider insights into consumer and retail trends in Ontario.
• Build a tailored sales and distribution strategy for your NHP.
• Position your brand for long-term, scalable growth in Canada’s largest market.
• Receive one-on-one guidance from industry expert.

Registration details

Registration fee: $57.00 ($50.00 + $7.00 HST)

Limited spots available – priority given to companies with market-ready products and growth potential.

To register, click the Eventbrite link below.

APPLY NOW

This workshop is virtual via Zoom. A Zoom link will be emailed to you a few days before the session date.

Workshop facilitator: Peter Chapman, Founder, SKUFood

Peter Chapman not only understands the food industry, but he also has a passion for seeing others succeed in this business, sharing his in-depth knowledge of the retail landscape and consumers with food producers and food processors who want to grow their sales. His valuable insights will help you navigate the marketplace more effectively and get your items into the shopping cart of the consumer more often.

Peter’s extensive experience includes product development, building relationships throughout the supply chain and retail merchandising. Starting at the store level, he learned the importance of listening to the consumer and the challenges of implementing strategies at retail. He went on to Canada’s largest food retailer, Loblaw’s, for nearly twenty years, expanding his knowledge working in various departments, including merchandising, marketing, advertising and real estate. In 2007, Peter started a company to provide customized services to producers, processors and retailers across Canada and in the U.S. who want to increase their sales and profits.

Look for Peter’s book 'a la cart, a supplier’s guide to retailers’ priorities'. The book was written for suppliers, to help them better understand where their customers are focusing their efforts. Peter was the national president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers in 2021 and has provided industry insights to The Globe and Mail, Canada Am, McLeans magazine and other industry publications.