Brazilian delegation held 500 business meetings at North America’s largest food and beverage trade show; 98% of participants intend to return
By Pedro Augusto
Five hundred business meetings. More than 2,000 business contacts identified. An estimated US$9.86 million in contracts expected to be signed over the next 12 months. These are the results brought back by the SIAL Canada 2026 Mission, organized by the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada (CCBC) in partnership with Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), upon returning from Montreal in early May.
Held from April 28 to May 1 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, SIAL Canada—also supported by the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) and the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB)—is considered the largest food and beverage trade show in North America.
This year’s edition brought together 850 exhibitors from 55 countries and attracted more than 26,000 visitors from around the world. Among them, a Brazilian delegation composed of 40 organizations—including companies, cooperatives, and industry associations—occupied a 100-square-meter pavilion and delivered one of the country’s most significant participations in the event.
Products showcased reflected the diversity of Brazilian agribusiness, including coffee, meat products, fresh fruit, juices, Amazonian products, chocolate, nuts, and peanuts. At the pavilion branded “Brésil — Votre Partenaire Gastronomique” (“Brazil — Your Gastronomic Partner”), Canadian buyers sampled and negotiated with companies such as Popeye Seafood, Forno de Minas, BrazilianFish, 100% Amazônia, Ascurra Chocolate, NutriBerry, Aurora Coop, Coopama, and Holambra Alimentos, among others.
Five hundred meetings and US$802,000 negotiated during the event
The heart of the mission was the matchmaking program—a meeting-scheduling system connecting Brazilian companies with Canadian buyers, coordinated by the CCBC. To build this agenda, the team mapped more than 2,000 contacts across approximately 1,200 companies and sent over 8,700 emails. The result was 193 meetings organized directly by the CCBC and a total of 500 business meetings throughout the event.
During the four days of the trade show alone, participating companies reported an expected business volume of US$802,000. The projection for the following 12 months is even more ambitious: US$9.86 million.
According to Armínio Calonga Jr., Business Consultant at the CCBC, the model has become increasingly established.
“Our partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture is becoming stronger every year. We started in 2025, repeated the model in 2026, and have already renewed the partnership for 2027,” he says. “Brazilian agriculture is experiencing a period of expansion, growth, and new agreements. Producers want access to the Canadian market and increasingly view it as a strategic opportunity.”
Technical visits
The mission’s program extended beyond the exhibition halls of SIAL. On the day before the trade show opened, delegates participated in technical visits to Supermarché PA, a Montreal supermarket chain known for its imported products and ethnic specialties; Marché Jean-Talon, one of Canada’s largest public fresh-food markets; and Interra Experience, an agri-food immersion center located in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec’s leading agri-food hub.
Outstanding participant satisfaction
The satisfaction survey conducted at the conclusion of the mission revealed exceptionally strong results. The support provided by the CCBC team—both during the preparation phase and throughout the event—received a perfect score of 10. Business meeting quality received an average rating of 9.1.
The mission’s Net Promoter Score (NPS), which measures participants’ likelihood to recommend the experience, reached 100—the highest score possible. Additionally, 98% of participants expressed interest in returning for the next edition of SIAL Canada.
A gateway for small and medium-sized businesses
Beyond the commodities and large-scale transactions that have historically dominated trade between Brazil and Canada—particularly in the mining and fertilizer sectors—the SIAL mission has become a strategic platform for higher value-added products and for companies that would otherwise struggle to enter the Canadian market independently.
Small and medium-sized enterprises without their own international business development structures gain access to the full support system of an organized trade mission, including scheduled meetings, market intelligence reports, translation services, logistics coordination, and diplomatic support.
The results also extend well beyond the four days of the trade show. One example highlighted by the CCBC is a Brazilian lime producer that, after participating in a previous mission, established a long-term commercial relationship with Canadian buyers—demonstrating that the impact of these initiatives goes far beyond the event itself.
With the partnership between the CCBC and MAPA already renewed for 2027, expectations are that future missions will continue opening doors for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, transforming meetings into contracts and opportunities into long-term commercial relationships.
