Bien fait ici

What Bien fait ici does

Bien fait ici, operating in English as Well Made Here, is a federally chartered Canadian nonprofit organization founded in October 2018 and headquartered in Ottawa. It administers a voluntary accreditation program that certifies residential construction materials and hardware products as Canadian-made, requiring that at least 51% of direct production costs be incurred in Canada and that the last substantial transformation occur in Canada. The program is co-founded and governed by nine major hardware retail banners (RONA, Home Hardware, Canac, Castle, Patrick Morin, Sexton, EvoX, AD Canada, RONA Plus) alongside professional associations (AQMAT, APCHQ, ACQC), with the board comprising CEOs of the partner banners and association leaders.

As of late 2025, the program brings together over 300 manufacturers operating 400 factories across eight Canadian provinces, accrediting more than 15,000 products available through approximately 3,000 hardware stores and home improvement centres. Revenue is generated through manufacturer accreditation fees (subscription/recurring) and partner banner contributions (membership dues). The core technology footprint is minimal — a participant portal, downloadable graphic assets, and a formerly maintained online product catalogue that was discontinued in 2025 in favor of logo integration at partner points of sale.

The organization operates with approximately five core staff (CEO Richard Darveau, a Participant Services Advisor, a Senior Advisor – Promotion & Advertising, and two vacant positions), supported by a distributed board. Go-to-market relies on community-led quality enforcement via a public complaint line and peer monitoring, similar to Energy Star or FSC. Marketing channels include in-store logo integration by RONA and Canac, 50/50 cooperative social media campaigns managed by Inteltek, an email newsletter, trade show presence (National Hardware Show, Hardlines Conference), and active federal/provincial government advocacy on Canadian-content public procurement. Notable accredited manufacturers include DuPont Canada (Performance Building Solutions), Groupe ATIS (~$200M revenue, 9 plants, 1,400 employees), Saturn Maple, and Servitek FOUSSIER.

Name

Bien fait ici

Legal name

Bien fait ici | Well Made Here

Website

https://ici-here.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bien fait ici (Well Made Here) is a federally chartered Canadian nonprofit, founded in 2018, that accredits Canadian-made residential construction materials and hardware. The program serves 300+ manufacturers across 400 factories and distributes through 9 partner retail banners representing ~3,000 Canadian hardware stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Product Certification Services

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Standards, Norms & Technical Regulatory Bodies (BPADAAAJ)

Keywords

• Product accreditation services
• Made-in-canada certification
• Building materials certification
• Hardware store partnerships
• Manufacturer accreditation program

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Manufacturer Accreditation Fees: Manufacturers pay to participate in the accreditation program. The organization collects fees from the 300+ manufacturing companies that accredit their products under the Well Made Here program. As a federal nonprofit, revenue is primarily derived from participant fees and partner contributions.
2. Partner Banner Contributions: Nine major hardware banner partners (RONA, Home Hardware, Canac, Castle, Patrick Morin, Sexton, EvoX, AD Canada) collectively co-founded and support the program. Financial contributions from these partners fund operations, marketing campaigns, and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bien fait ici (Well Made Here) operates a voluntary accreditation program that certifies construction materials and hardware products as made in Canada, requiring at least 51% of direct production costs to be incurred in Canada and the last substantial transformation to occur in Canada. Manufacturers pay participation fees to display the Well Made Here logo on qualifying products, and the program is supported by nine major hardware retail banner partners that distribute accredited products through approximately 3,000 stores across Canada.

Product overview

Bien fait ici operates as a single accreditation program, not a platform with multiple modules. The core offering is a Canadian-made product certification program that allows manufacturers to display the Well Made Here logo on qualifying products. Supporting offerings include downloadable graphic assets (logo packages, brand guidelines), product data sheet templates, a searchable directory of accredited manufacturers, and cooperative social media advertising campaigns. The organization previously maintained an online product catalogue but discontinued it in late 2025, refocusing on logo-centric promotion through retail partners. Additional services include international trade missions and a proposed reality television concept for promotional purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Well Made Here Accreditation Program A voluntary accreditation program certifying construction materials and hardware products as made in Canada, with at least 51% of direct production costs incurred in Canada and last substantial transformation occurring in Canada. Used by manufacturers to earn the right to display the Well Made Here logo.
• Graphic Guide and Logos Package Downloadable branding materials including the Well Made Here logo in web and vector formats, plus a graphic standards guide for accredited manufacturers and partner banners to properly display the accreditation mark on products, packaging, advertising, and store signage.
• Participating Manufacturers Directory Downloadable PDF directory listing all manufacturers accredited in the program, including companies declaring they manufacture at least one product in Canada meeting program standards. Used by retailers, contractors, and consumers to identify Canadian-made sources.
• Cooperative Social Media Advertising Campaigns Marketing campaigns on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok offered to participating manufacturers on four monthly tiers starting at $1,000/month with a 6-month minimum commitment, with 50/50 cost-sharing between Bien fait ici and the partner brand. Expected outcomes include 1.2-2.4 million impressions and 10-35% increase in direct traffic per 6-month campaign.
• International Trade Mission Program Organized international trade missions (e.g., Vietnam in November-December 2024) offering personalized business meetings, trade show visits, and networking activities for participating manufacturers seeking export opportunities in foreign markets.
• Well Made Here Online Shop Transactional portal hosted at ici-here.gomiro.ca for purchasing promotional items and materials related to the program, with downloadable product sheets and graphic guides available.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% of Canadians now believe it is preferable to invest in locally or nationally manufactured products (Interac survey, February 2025, 1,500 respondents)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AQMAT (Association québéçoise de la quincaillerie et des matériaux de construction)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018AQMAT is the founding initiative partner of Well Made Here. As a Quebec industry association representing hardware and building materials businesses, AQMAT co-founded the program alongside the major retail banners and was instrumental in establishing the organization's governance and objectives.
• APCHQ (Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPCHQ is a supporting partner of Well Made Here, representing construction and housing professionals in Quebec. The organization collaborates with Well Made Here to promote accredited products among certified renovators and builders.
• ACQC (Association des consommateurs pour la qualité dans la construction)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACQC is a supporting partner of Well Made Here. It represents consumers in the construction sector and provides consumer advocacy and quality oversight for the program's accreditation standards. The ACQC General Director serves as Vice-Chair of the Well Made Here Board.
• RONAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRONA is one of nine founding retail banner partners. It has been the most proactive in integrating the Well Made Here logo, having identified over 6,500 accredited products across its physical stores and online platform, with 5,000 more in the pipeline.
• Home Hardware StorescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHome Hardware is one of nine founding retail banner partners. It has integrated Well Made Here into its business plan and actively promotes Canadian-made products in its network of independently owned hardware stores.
• CanaccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanac joined as a Partner Retailer, actively promoting accredited products in its stores and online. It is one of the two banners (alongside RONA) that has systematically integrated the logo into its online search and in-store store signage.
• Groupe Centres de rénovation CastlecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCastle (Groupe Centres de rénovation Castle) is one of nine founding retail banner partners, representing a network of independent hardware stores and home improvement centres.
• Patrick MorincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPatrick Morin is one of nine founding retail banner partners, representing a network of hardware stores and home improvement centres.
• Groupe SextoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGroupe Sexton is one of nine founding retail banner partners.
• EvoXcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvoX is one of nine founding retail banner partners, representing a network of hardware stores. EvoX joined alongside CANAC as the most recent additions, bringing the total to nine partner banners.
• AD CanadacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAD Canada is one of nine founding retail banner partners.
• InteltekminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInteltek is a digital marketing firm engaged by Well Made Here to run cooperative social media advertising campaigns across Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. The firm manages 50/50 co-funded campaigns for partner brands.
• EVO CanadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThrough a partnership with EVO Canada, participating manufacturers can access the lowest guaranteed credit card processing fees, potentially saving thousands to tens of thousands of dollars per year on transaction fees charged by Visa and MasterCard.
• FCEI (Fédération canadienne de l'entreprise indépendante)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWell Made Here partnered with FCEI to offer member manufacturers access to free policy templates (cybersecurity, anti-spam law compliance, work disconnection, etc.) and discounted business services, adding value to the accreditation program.
• Groupe EngramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWell Made Here partnered with Groupe Engram, a Montreal-based international business consultancy with a permanent office in Hanoi, Vietnam, to organize a trade mission to Vietnam in November–December 2024. The mission targeted 10 Canadian manufacturers seeking to diversify into Southeast Asian markets, explore import/export opportunities, find suppliers, and identify business partners.
• HardlinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWell Made Here sponsors the annual Hardlines Conference, a major national industry event for hardware and building materials professionals held in Whistler, BC.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• CSA Group: Canadian standards-development and testing organization that operates product certification programs across many industries. Overlaps with Bien fait ici in role as a Canadian standards body, but operates across far broader industries and includes testing labs rather than purely logo-based accreditation.
• NSF International: Independent global standards organization offering third-party certification, testing and auditing across consumer products. Shares the nonprofit, third-party-verified accreditation model and manufacturer-fee revenue model applied to consumer goods and construction-adjacent products.
• UL Solutions: Global product safety testing, inspection and certification organization. Comparable in monetization (manufacturer fees for accreditation marks), point-of-sale logo deployment, and federal-charter-style governance, though covers vastly more product categories.

Direct peers

• Bluesign Technologies: Swiss-based certification body for textile and material manufacturing inputs. Similar to Bien fait ici as a third-party-verified product/materials accreditation program with manufacturer-fee revenue and partnership-driven distribution into retail supply chains.
• Energy Star: EPA-administered third-party product certification program for energy-efficient goods. Bien fait ici explicitly models its community-led monitoring and complaint-line approach on Energy Star. Both are federally-chartered, consumer-facing certification marks for physical products with a point-of-sale logo.
• Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute: Non-profit standards body that certifies products across material health, circularity, and social fairness dimensions. Like Bien fait ici, it issues third-party-verified labels used on-pack and at retail, and charges manufacturers for accreditation.
• B Lab / B Corporation: Global non-profit certifying companies against verified social and environmental performance standards with a consumer-facing logo and accreditation-fee revenue model. Comparable in monetization (manufacturer/company fees), brand-protection (logo use enforcement), and nonprofit governance.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): Global non-profit that runs a chain-of-custody certification standard for forest products. Bien fait ici cites FSC as a model for peer/community verification and is structurally similar: a non-profit, third-party-verified labeling program with logo integration at retail and standards aligned with international norms.
• Australian Made Campaign: Australian non-profit that licenses the green-and-gold "Australian Made" logo to qualifying domestic producers. Direct functional analogue to Bien fait ici in mission, structure, and consumer-facing national-origin labeling for physical goods including construction materials.
• Made in Britain: UK not-for-profit accreditation body that licenses the "Made in Britain" mark to qualifying manufacturers with strict provenance criteria. Mirrors Bien fait ici in scope, structure (nonprofit, manufacturer accreditation fees, retail integration), and product categories (construction materials and consumer goods).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bien-fait-ici-well-made-here

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Bien fait ici