Agri-food table

What Agri-food table does

La Table agroalimentaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, operating under the brand Zone boréale, is a Quebec-based non-profit concertation table (concertation body) founded in 1998 and headquartered in Alma, Quebec. The organization manages the Zone boréale regional agri-food platform, which serves as the convening body for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region's agri-food sector across five MRCs (Maria-Chapdelaine, Domaine-du-Roy, Fjord-du-Saguenay, Lac-Saint-Jean-Est, and Ville de Saguenay). Its core offering is a searchable public directory of 500+ regional businesses and thousands of local products, supported by seven structured accreditation programs: Ambassadeur de saveurs (restaurants), Marchand (retailers), Petits Ambassadeurs (early childhood education, reaching 1,000+ children across 16 Quebec regions), Agrotourisme (farm experiences), Distributeur (wholesalers), Partenaires transporteurs (seven logistics partners), and Expert (consumers completing local-purchasing training).

The underlying technology is a standard web platform (zoneboreale.com) built on common off-the-shelf infrastructure including Google Analytics for web analytics, MailChimp for newsletters, Square for payments, Eventbrite for event ticketing, and Zeffy for zero-fee ticketing. No proprietary technology, AI/ML systems, patents, or mobile applications are described in available materials. The organization operates as a regional branding and networking coordinator rather than a technology company.

Revenue is generated through membership and accreditation fees paid by participating producers, processors, restaurants, retailers, transporters, and distributors, supplemented by event ticketing and training programs. The organization has received public-sector funding, including a $1,150,000 grant from the Government of Canada in June 2019. It maintains strategic partnerships with the Crénau d'Excellence AgroBoréal regional excellence cluster, Aliments du Québec for certification marks, and CIUSSS du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean for healthcare-sector local sourcing initiatives.

Name

Agri-food table

Legal name

La Table agroalimentaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

Website

https://zoneboreale.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Table agroalimentaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (Zone boréale) is a Quebec non-profit concertation body that operates a regional agri-food directory of 500+ businesses and seven accreditation programs (restaurants, retailers, distributors, transport, agrotourism, childcare, consumer training) across the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean territory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alma

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership and Accreditation Fees: La Table agroalimentaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean generates revenue through membership fees and accreditation program fees. Businesses (producers, restaurants, retailers, transporters) pay to join and receive Zone boréale accreditation, signage, and inclusion in the regional directory. Additional revenue comes from event ticketing (via Zeffy) and training programs (e.g., 'Les bonnes pratiques d'achat local' certification).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

La Table agroalimentaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean operates the Zone boréale brand and a regional agri-food directory platform covering 500+ businesses and thousands of local products in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean territory. The organization delivers a suite of accreditation programs (Ambassadeur de saveurs, Marchand, Petits Ambassadeurs, Agrotourisme, Distributeur, Expert, Partenaires transporteurs) that certify restaurants, retailers, producers, distributors, transporters, and childcare services under a shared regional brand identity.

Product overview

La Table agroalimentaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean operates the Zone boréale platform as a comprehensive regional agri-food ecosystem. The core offering consists of the Zone boréale directory platform (website with searchable business directory, event calendar, recipes, and agritourism experiences), complemented by a suite of seven accreditation programs: Ambassadeur de saveurs (restaurant certification), Marchand (retailer certification), Petits Ambassadeurs (childcare nutrition program reaching 1000+ children), Agrotourisme (farm tourism certification), Partenaires transporteurs (logistics partners), Expert de la Zone Boréale (consumer training), and Distributeur (distribution certification). These programs form an integrated regional food system that connects producers, processors, retailers, restaurants, and consumers across the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean territory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zone boréale: Regional agri-food brand and platform for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean territory promoting local products, producers, and agri-tourism experiences.

Products and services

• Zone boréale Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ businesses and thousands of products listed in the Zone boréale directory
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Créneau d'Excellence AgroBoréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgroBoréal is a regional excellence cluster mobilizing the agri-food sector of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean around its strengths. Zone boréale and La Table agroalimentaire are closely aligned with this initiative, which aims to proclaim and consolidate the uniqueness of regional products and practices derived from the boreal terroir.
• Aliments du QuébeccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAliments du Québec provides certification logos that enable consumers to easily identify Quebec food products. Zone boréale member products can carry these certification marks, facilitating product identification and consumer trust in retail settings.
• CIUSSS du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-JeanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative project 'Une assiette aux couleurs régionales' between the regional health authority (CIUSSS) and La Table agroalimentaire aims to promote regional food offerings in hospital and CHSLD menus and to identify the CIUSSS's role in local sourcing.
• TranscolminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport partner Zone boréale, delivering agri-food products throughout Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and beyond regional borders. Based in Jonquière.
• Les Jardins du SaguenayminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport partner Zone boréale covering the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, based in Jonquière.
• Transport Guy VoisineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport partner Zone boréale, based in Hébertville, providing delivery services for regional agri-food products.
• Tremblay ExpressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport partner Zone boréale, based in Jonquière, specializing in logistics for regional food distribution.
• Groupe MorneauminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport partner Zone boréale, based in Saint-Bruno, providing logistics and delivery services for regional agri-food products.
• Livraison 3FminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport partner Zone boréale, based in Dolbeau-Mistassini, specializing in regional food delivery.
• Messagerie D.M.G.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport partner Zone boréale based in Alma (1525, avenue du Pont Sud, G8B 6N2) that accompanies businesses in delivering their food products throughout the region.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Appalachian Sustainable Development: US non-profit in southwestern Virginia building a regional local-food economy through producer support, aggregation, distribution, and consumer education. Functionally similar model of regional food-system coordination with comparable scope.
• Équiterre: Quebec non-profit promoting local, sustainable, and equitable food systems through consumer education, farmer networks, and institutional food procurement — overlapping significantly with La Table's regional cluster-development and consumer-awareness mandate.
• Aliments du Québec: Provincial certification mark promoting Quebec-produced and processed food products. Closely comparable: Zone boréale member products are authorized to carry Aliments du Québec marks and the two function as parallel identifiers for Quebec-origin food.
• Vermont Farm to Plate: Vermont statewide food-system plan and network coordinating producers, processors, retailers, and consumers around a common roadmap. Highly analogous as a sub-national cluster-development organization with similar program architecture.

Broad incumbents

• Foodland Ontario: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture program promoting Ontario-grown and processed foods through consumer marketing and retail partnerships. Comparable in function — a province-backed local-food identification and promotion effort — but government-operated rather than member-driven.
• Buy BC: British Columbia government initiative that helps consumers identify BC-produced foods and supports BC producers and processors with marketing tools. Operates the same consumer-facing local-food identification role as Zone boréale but as a provincial government program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agri-food table