What Synthesis does

Synthesis Agri-Food Network (legally Synthesis Network Inc.) is a privately held Canadian communications and consulting agency specializing in the agriculture, nutrition, and food sectors. Headquartered at 100 Stone Road W, Guelph, Ontario, the firm operates with a team of approximately nine professionals led by President Rob Hannam and Client Director Claire Cowan, organized around account management, creative, digital strategy, content/PR, and production functions. The company describes itself as pairing communications professionals with strategic agricultural experts to deliver "insight-driven" work for industry clients.

The firm's service offering is structured across five pillars: Brand Strategy & Creative Services; Digital Marketing & Web Services (including SEO, social media management across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok); Content & Communications Services (video, animation, editorial, copywriting, magazine and tradeshow production); Strategic Planning & Knowledge Transfer; and Campaign Services (integrated campaigns, events, sales demand creation). There is no proprietary software platform, AI/ML capability, or app product; revenue is generated entirely through professional-services engagements delivered by the in-house team.

Synthesis sells directly to enterprise and industry-association clients in the Canadian agri-food value chain — including Dairy Farmers of Canada, the Canadian Biogas Association, the Western Grains Research Foundation, Farm Health Guardian, and DairyTrace — typically through account-manager-led relationships and project or retainer engagements. Geographic reach is regional (Canada-focused, with a North America claim), and the firm has no disclosed funding, parent company, or external investors. Its primary differentiator is domain specialization: the team combines creative and digital execution capability with deep knowledge of agricultural issues such as biosecurity, traceability, sustainability, and crop science, a combination validated by a 2023 Canadian Agri-marketing Association 'Best in Show' award for the 'What About Wheat?' campaign.

Name

Synthesis

Legal name

Synthesis Network Inc.

Website

https://synthesis.ag

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Synthesis Agri-Food Network is a privately held Canadian communications and consulting agency based in Guelph, Ontario, that delivers branding, digital marketing, content, and campaign services to enterprise clients in the agriculture, nutrition, and food sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Guelph

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Synthesis provides strategic communications services to agri-food sector clients including branding, corporate communications, digital marketing, content creation, and campaign development. Revenue is generated through professional service engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Synthesis is an agri-food communications consulting firm that delivers professional services across brand strategy, digital marketing, content production, strategic planning, and integrated campaign development. The firm specializes in translating complex agricultural research and industry initiatives into communications and creative work that resonates with farmers, municipalities, and industry stakeholders across the Canadian agri-food sector.

Product overview

Synthesis is an agri-food communications agency that offers a unified portfolio of professional services rather than a software product platform. The company's offerings are organized into five interconnected service areas: Brand Strategy & Creative Services provides branding, brand strategy, and creative design; Digital Marketing & Web Services covers digital strategy, web development, SEO, and social media management; Content & Communications Services delivers animation, video, editorial, copywriting, and multimedia production; Strategic Planning & Knowledge Transfer offers facilitation and research communication; and Campaign Services provides integrated campaign development and event planning. These services work together to deliver insight-driven communications for agricultural and food sector clients, combining strategic expertise with creative execution to achieve measurable results.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy & Creative Services Strategic branding and creative services including branding, brand strategy, corporate communications, and creative design solutions tailored for agri-food sector clients. Designed for agricultural industry associations, farmer organizations, food corporations, and non-profits seeking to build or refresh their brand presence.
• Digital Marketing & Web Services Digital marketing services encompassing digital strategy, web design and development, SEO management, and social media management across platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. Built for agri-food organizations seeking to strengthen their online presence and digital engagement.
• Content & Communications Services Content creation and communications services including animation, video production, editorial writing, copywriting, influencer campaigns, magazine production, infographics, and tradeshow design. Aimed at agri-food audiences requiring compelling multimedia content and communications assets.
• Strategic Planning & Knowledge Transfer Strategic planning, stakeholder facilitation, and knowledge transfer services designed to communicate complex agricultural research and initiatives to target audiences. Suited for agricultural research organizations and industry associations needing to translate scientific findings into accessible messaging.
• Campaign Services Integrated campaign development including communications strategy, event planning, and sales demand creation to achieve client goals in the agricultural and food sectors. Targeted at enterprise agri-food clients running multi-channel stakeholder campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2023 Best in Show award from Canadian Agri-marketing Association for 'What About Wheat?' campaign

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Ketchum: Ketchum is an Omnicom-owned global PR and communications firm with food and agriculture clients - a broad incumbent offering similar services at scale but without Synthesis's dedicated agri-food focus.
• Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations and communications agency with agri-food clients - a larger incumbent competing for major enterprise campaigns that would otherwise go to a specialist like Synthesis.
• Edelman: Edelman is a global communications and PR firm with significant agriculture and food practice - a broader incumbent that competes for large enterprise agri-food communications mandates but lacks Synthesis's boutique specialization.

Direct peers

• AdFarm: AdFarm is one of North America's largest agricultural marketing agencies, offering branding, digital, and campaign services to agri-food clients - directly comparable to Synthesis's full-service agri-food communications model.
• Brown & Company Communications: Brown & Company Communications is a boutique agriculture-focused marketing firm providing branding, PR, and digital services to agribusiness clients - comparable in size, specialization, and service mix.
• Think Shift: Think Shift is an agricultural marketing and strategic communications firm serving agribusiness clients across North America with branding, public relations, and digital marketing - directly overlapping Synthesis's service portfolio and vertical focus.
• Bader Rutter: Bader Rutter is a B2B marketing agency with a strong agricultural and animal health practice offering brand strategy, content, and campaigns - competing with Synthesis for similar agri-food enterprise clients.
• FLM Harvest: FLM Harvest is a specialized agricultural marketing agency serving crop protection, seed, and ag retail clients with strategy, creative, and digital services - a direct competitor in the agri-food communications niche.
• Curious Plot: Curious Plot (formerly Curious) is a marketing agency specializing in food, agriculture, and lifestyle brands with strategy, creative, and digital offerings - directly comparable in vertical specialization and service breadth.

Others

• National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) member agencies: Various member agencies of NAMA compete in the same agri-marketing awards ecosystem where Synthesis won Best in Show - representing the broader competitive set in North American agricultural marketing services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/synthesisag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Synthesis