Buy BC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Primary Producers & Farmers

Primary producers and farmers can apply to certify products that are 100% grown, caught, or raised in BC with their logo licence agreement.

Food & Beverage Processors

Processors can apply to certify products that have 51% or more processing costs originating in BC. Applicants must provide a breakdown of the total cost of production for any individual processed product to be approved.

After you’ve been approved for a Buy BC logo licence, please submit your label and packaging designs with the Buy BC logo for approval to BuyBCLogoLicensing@gov.bc.ca.

If those designs or materials are being developed as part of a Buy BC cost-shared funding project, please submit them for approval to admin@buybcpartnershipprogram.ca.

Certification Licence 

A certification licence validates that a product meets the Buy BC definition of local. You will receive a certification licence for your products if you are a producer or processor whose products are grown, caught, raised, or processed in B.C.

A certification licence allows you to use the Buy BC logo on the product packaging of your certified products and for product-specific marketing.

Marketing Licence

A marketing licence is intended for retailers, wholesalers, distributors, industry groups, farmers’ markets, agricultural fairs, food hubs, and other non-profit agricultural organizations who carry local products.

With a marketing licence, the Buy BC logo can only be used on marketing materials – not on product packaging or product labels.

There are many ways to use the Buy BC logo on your packaging and marketing materials.

When you apply for a Buy BC logo licence, you will receive a logo guide that can help you select the version of the logo that works best for you. You can even select from different logo orientations and colour options to complement your branding!

Click here to watch a short video showcasing how the logo is being displayed across BC’s food and beverage industry.

If your brand requires logo colours other than the ones described in the logo guide, please contact the Buy BC Team at BuyBCLogoLicensing@gov.bc.ca to discuss different alternatives before making any design changes to the logo.

The Buy BC Team is always working to help ensure that the Buy BC brand is valuable to our members. Consumer brand recognition is a key component of ensuring this value. When you add the logo to your product packaging and marketing materials, British Columbians recognize that your products are local, sustainable, safe, and high-quality.

As a Buy BC member, you can benefit from a wide range of Buy BC activities including:

• A province-wide ad campaign to increase awareness of the Buy BC brand and encourage consumers to chose Buy BC products in retail stores across B.C.
• Retail partnerships to highlight Buy BC products at the point of sale.
• Social media promotions to highlight Buy BC products and local producers and processors and provide consumer education on buying local.
• Consistent market research to track Buy BC brand recognition among B.C. consumers.

Click here to access the Social Media Request Form. Once you complete and submit the form, the Buy BC Team will connect with you to develop promotional content.

We are currently making some exciting new upgrades to the Buy BC website. Once our website upgrades are complete, we’ll connect with you about how we can promote your products/business on our site.

No. If you have received your Buy BC certification or marketing licence, you already have approval to use the logo for free in accordance with the terms of your agreement. New licensees can start using the logo right away.

Now that you are approved for a Buy BC logo certification or marketing licence, you have checked the box on one eligibility requirement for Buy BC cost-shared funding. Buy BC cost-shared funding has additional eligibility requirements related to project budget, years in business, annual revenue, and more.

The next Buy BC Partnership Program intake will open on January 8 – February 2, 2024. Please visit the program website for more information.

Eligible applicants can receive funding to deliver paid advertising campaigns, conduct in-store demonstrations or promotions, participate in tradeshows or consumer sales events, produce Buy BC marketing materials, and label products with the Buy BC logo. 

For more details, please consult the Program Guide here.

If you don’t see your question, you can reach out to us at: admin@BuyBCPartnershipProgram.ca