Ontario Green Business Fund
So you’re starting or running a Green business in Ontario. Surely with the growing interest in the environment, the Ontario government is doing something, right? Well yes they are!
The Ontario government runs the “Next Generation Jobs Fund” to help businesses and encourage new investment. This fund is not exactly green-specific; the funds goal is to “help innovative companies grow and create well-paying sustainable jobs for today’s workforce and for the next generation of Ontario’s highly skilled workers.” The program has three streams: Biopharmaceutical Investment Program, Jobs and Investment Program, and the Strategic Opportunities Program. It’s that last that will interest Ontario green entrepreneurs. In fact, the program is not restricted to Ontarions. Any green entrepreneur from across Canada or around the world will be able to participate.
Some of the highlights of the program:
- A $1.15 billion fund disbursed over 5 years.
- Specifically targeting green auto research, parts production and assembly.
- Specifically targeting clean fuels research, development and commercialization.
- Specifically targeting environmental technologies, clean industries and bio-economy.
- Speedy turnaround on proposals. A decision on the proposal within 45 days.
Is it all sweetness and light? Not quite.
For one thing, there are three criteria that put funding well out of reach of the Canadian Green Entrepreneur. These are:
- A minimum total proposal size of $25M over 5 years.Think big!
- A minimum contribution of 30 percent total project / program costs by participating industry partners. Share the burden!
- An Ontario contribution through the Ministry of Research and Innovation of 25 percent of the total eligible project / program costs. Let the government get in on the act!
This fund is clearly not for the smaller players. I suppose that’s to be expected considering they want to create lots and lots of jobs with this program. Fair enough. But I’d like to see some government support for the little guy setting up his Canadian green business. Chances of that happening? I’ve not idea. I’ll poke around some more and see if there’s anything available. If you got a tip for government assistance to Canadian small green business owners (not just Ontario), feel free to drop me a line and let me know.
posted by: Steve | posted on: 26 08 2008 | categories: Government Incentives - Business
Green Marketing Tips for Organic Products
The Globe and Mail recently ran an article on Canadian Green Business Cenabal Gourmet Organics (web site, listing). I’m a big fan of the CBC’s Dragon’s Den and Jennifer MacDonald was one of the winners with her organic salad dressings.
I’ve always wondered what happened to all those folks who won or lost on the show. There are the occasional small updates but I’ve never seen a real success story appear. After reading the article, it’s clear that it doesn’t get any easier for the contestants even after the Dragon’s put their money in.
The Globe’s article deals with the trials Cenebal has encountered in increasing buzz about their product. Jennifer has moved away from salad dressings (though they may appear again soon) and is focusing on bread dipping oil. I imagine the Globe article will disappear behind the pay wall soon so here’s the problem in a nutshell:
- Cenabal has a marketing budget of $25 000 a year.
- The segment they are competing in is crowded and competitive.
- The product sells best when a believer is doing the selling…not an easy proposition in a store.
- The product’s benefits are not immediately clear or obvious.
The solutions are reasonable but some are beyond Jennifer’s budget. Of course, this type of advice can apply to your business as well.
The recommendations:
- Create additional uses for bread-dipping oil by including recipes.
- Broaden the product’s market by using a more general term than “bread dipping oil”.
- Clean up the product label and make the selling features of the product (unrefined, certified organic) more obvious and broaden the market.
- Become the go-to person in the media for unrefined oils.
- Tidy up the web site.
Good advice all around.
One thing that did catch my eye was the fact that 90% of her sales go to just one distributor. That would definitely bother me but I’m not in Jennifer’s shoes. She knows what’s best for her business and her success means she knows what she’s doing.
posted by: Steve | posted on: 19 08 2008 | categories: Food and Beverage
Welcome to GreenIndex!
Welcome to GreenIndex! We’re fresh out of the gates and raring to go. So what’s in store? Well, for now, we’re keen just to share our passion for green products and our delight in finding truly innovative and local green businesses. Local, of course, is relative but we’re certain that even in today’s hyper-connected world, dealing with someone in your neighbourhood or close by is the preferred choice for most Canadians.
Pretty much everyone is new so here’s a general idea of who we are and what we aim to do.
“We” is me, Stephen Van Esch, and a wonderful group of people (friends, family, fellow green travelers) supporting me in this endeavor.
What led me to develop GreenIndex was a need to contribute more to the green movement in Canada. We’re on the cusp of changing things for the better in Canada and I want to be part of that change as much as possible. With limited resources to start up my own green business or develop my own green product, I figured the best way to make a contribution was to take advantage of my web development experience and help green consumers connect with the businesses able to fulfill their green product and service needs. By making the site free, I think we have the best chance to make a real difference.
But this web site is not about me; it’s about green entrepreneurs in Canada and how they are helping consumers across the country Go Green! From here on in, we’ll be giving up this space to the green businesses and green topics that make this country great. I’d love to have your help. You can make this site a more valuable resource for green consumers and green entrepreneurs by:
- Adding a Green Business (of course!). The more businesses we have, the easier it will be for local buyers find the products and services they need.
- Sending us your press release. We’d love to hear about your new product or service.
- Suggesting story ideas. Think something will be of value to Canadian green consumers and green entrepreneurs? We can’t read everything and be everywhere! Let us know what we shouldn’t miss.
- Telling a friend about the site! The more people that use the site to find a local green business, the more green business owners will benefit.
- Sign up for our mailing list.
My main focus over the next few months will be building the directory. So again, register and add a business (don’t forget to search for the business first to avoid duplicates!) or just send me a link and I’ll do the legwork for you.
Thanks for visiting!
posted by: Steve | posted on: 13 08 2008 | categories: General