REFINE | Buyer Engagement Seafood, Food & Beverage Cohort will be open for submissions on Monday, September 14, 2026.
Deadline to apply is October 8, 2026, at 3:00 pm ADT.
You can download the Guidelines & FAQ by clicking the link on the sidebar under Related Documents.
If you're preparing to engage with buyers, success often depends on making the right decisions before the conversation begins.
With limited time and resources, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts.
Should you update your product information? Refresh your messaging? Develop new buyer materials? Adapt your approach to better meet buyer expectations?
REFINE | Buyer Engagement helps Nova Scotia seafood, food & beverage businesses answer those questions with greater confidence. Through sector expertise, targeted market intelligence and a structured, individualized process, participating businesses will strengthen buyer communications and develop practical tools that support upcoming buyer engagement activities. REFINE | Buyer Engagement helps you focus your time and resources where they can have the greatest impact.
Is REFINE | Buyer Engagement Right for You?
REFINE | Buyer Engagement may be a good fit if your business:
- has a commercially ready seafood, food or beverage product;
- has identified a buyer or sales opportunity and completed some initial research;
- wants practical support to strengthen its approach to buyer engagement; and
- is ready to build on work already completed.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- be a Nova Scotia registered business in good standing with the Registry of Joint Stock Companies; federally registered businesses with a head office registered in Nova Scotia may also be eligible;
- have a permanent establishment in Nova Scotia;
- have the majority of their workforce currently residing in Nova Scotia (some exceptions may apply);
- be a product-based seafood, food or beverage business;
- have a commercially ready product;
- have the capacity to actively participate in a fast-paced, collaborative program;
- have identified a buyer or sales opportunity they are preparing to pursue and completed some initial research relevant to that opportunity; and
- have plans to engage in buyer meetings or other sales development activities within the next 12–18 months.
Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Applications will be reviewed through a competitive selection process based on the program criteria as outlined in the Program Guidelines.
Why Participate?
Pursuing sales opportunities often involves important decisions about where to invest your time and resources.
REFINE | Buyer Engagement helps seafood, food & beverage businesses:
- Identify where to focus buyer engagement efforts before investing further time or resources
- Strengthen buyer positioning and communications
- Better understand buyer expectations and requirements
- Receive practical recommendations tailored to their business and identified opportunity
- Develop practical tools that support future buyer engagement
- Move forward with greater clarity and confidence
What You'll Receive
Every participant receives:
- Market intelligence snapshot
- Individual discovery session
- Buyer engagement readiness assessment
- Buyer engagement readiness brief
- Core messaging framework
- Two customized buyer tools
- Editable source files, where appropriate
Buyer tools may include:
- Product specification package
- Buyer one-pager
- Product portfolio guide
- Capability statement
- Buyer sales presentation
- Buyer meeting toolkit
- Buyer FAQ
- Meeting follow-up toolkit
- Buyer-focused webpage strategy and copy
The Program
REFINE | Buyer Engagement combines individualized company support with targeted market intelligence and guidance from a sector expert engaged by Invest Nova Scotia. Through a series of structured activities that build on one another, you'll complete a company and opportunity profile, participate in one-on-one meetings and collaboratively develop two customized buyer tools to support future buyer engagement. The program is collaborative. Your involvement is an important part of the process, helping ensure the recommendations and buyer tools reflect your business, products and goals.
Step 1: Build the Foundation
Complete a company and opportunity profiling exercise and participate in a discovery session that helps the delivery team understand your business, products, goals, existing materials and the buyer or sales opportunity you are preparing to pursue.
Step 2: Understand the Opportunity
Build on your initial research and strengthen your understanding of the identified opportunity through targeted market intelligence. Identify strengths, gaps and priority areas for action.
Step 3: Strengthen Your Buyer Approach
Refine your buyer positioning, strengthen your communications and develop a core messaging framework.
Step 4: Develop Buyer Tools
Receive two customized buyer tools designed to support future buyer engagement.
Participant Contribution
Successful participants contribute CAD $750 + HST toward the cost of program delivery.
Up to 12 companies will be selected to participate in the Fall 2026 cohort through a competitive application process.
Ready to Apply?
Applications for REFINE | Buyer Engagement will be accepted from September 14, 2026, to October 8, 2026, at 3:00 pm ADT.