For Jacob, Michael’s son and part of the third generation involved in the family business, that growth also revealed a challenge that had become harder to ignore: Charlie-Bee Honey had expanded without a clear marketing strategy.

“Everything we did was word of mouth,” Jacob said. “Social media was just something we tried to do ourselves, and it was pretty sporadic.”

The turning point came through an unexpected connection, a conversation his wife had in a local moms’ group that introduced the business to Niagara College’s Business and Commercialization Innovation Centre (BCIC).

What started as a casual introduction quickly became an opportunity to step back, take a closer look at the business, and explore new ways to grow.

The project began with a comprehensive market analysis, providing insights into customer segments, competitor positioning, and pricing strategy. For a business that had grown largely through reputation and long-standing relationships, it offered a more structured view of its place within a competitive and evolving industry.

“One of the biggest things was understanding where we fit,” Jacob said. “We’d never really looked at it that way before.”

One of the most valuable outcomes was clarity.

The analysis revealed that while the company had strong products and a solid reputation, it was not yet positioned to scale through larger distribution channels in a way that aligned with its current pricing model, a key insight that helped guide future decision-making. Rather than pursuing expansion prematurely, the team refocused on strengthening its existing model and identifying more strategic growth opportunities.

“That was a big benefit,” Jacob said. “It helped us understand where we actually stand.”

The insights also helped shift the company’s growth approach, reinforcing the value of direct-to-consumer relationships and a more intentional approach to reaching customers.

“It kind of changes how you look at things,” he said. “Instead of just trying to grow, you’re thinking about how you grow in the right way.”

Beyond pricing and positioning, the research introduced the team to audience profiling and market segmentation, tools that were entirely new to the business.

“I want everybody to be my customer,” Jacob said. “But it does help to understand who you’re actually reaching, and who you’re not.”

The applied research approach combined academic insight with real-world business context, enabling recommendations that were both practical and immediately usable.

“Our role is to take complex market information and translate it into something businesses can actually use,” said Paula Reile, Associate Director, BCIC. “It’s about helping companies understand where they are today and what steps will support sustainable growth.”

Those insights created a foundation for the next phase of the project, shifting the focus from understanding the market to actively engaging it, particularly through a more structured and intentional digital presence.

BCIC supported Charlie-Bee Honey in developing and executing a structured content strategy, a significant shift from its previous approach, which had been informal and inconsistent. Prior to the project, content was created on an ad hoc basis, with little insight into performance or audience engagement.

“They showed us how to create content, how to plan it, and how to actually target it,” Jacob said.

The team worked directly on-site, capturing photos and video content that reflected the day-to-day realities of the business, giving the team direct exposure to its operations and workflow. At the same time, they introduced digital tools that enabled posts to be scheduled, reviewed, and refined collaboratively, giving the team visibility and control they had not had before.

Students also contributed to content development and analysis, helping test different approaches and identify what resonated most with audiences.

For the first time, the business could clearly see what was resonating with its audience.

“We started to see which types of content people actually wanted to watch,” he said.

That visibility quickly translated into more informed decisions about what — and how — to share.

One of the most notable insights was how well simple, authentic content performed. A casual, behind-the-scenes video filmed in the packing facility quickly became one of the company’s most-viewed and most-engaged-with posts, outperforming more curated content.

“We realized people just want to see what we’re doing day to day,” Jacob said. “That’s something we’re going to lean into more.”

The experience also helped the team begin thinking more strategically about consistency and audience engagement, shifting from occasional posting to a more intentional, repeatable approach they can sustain alongside day-to-day operations.

Following the initial work on market analysis and social media strategy, the next phase will focus on developing a new, user-friendly website to improve the customer experience and support online sales. The new platform will make it easier for customers to purchase products directly and explore the company’s full range of offerings online.

“We’re looking to make it a lot easier for people to find us and buy from us,” Jacob said. “Right now, that’s something we know we can improve.”

Building on recent growth in social media engagement, the new platform is expected to further strengthen the business’s connection with customers and convert that engagement into more consistent online activity.

The decision to continue working with NC was a natural one.

“It’s been really good working with the team,” he said. “We’ve already learned a lot, so it just made sense to keep going and build on that.”

For a business balancing day-to-day agricultural operations with product distribution, these tools are expected to play an important role in supporting continued growth.

Looking ahead, the goal remains steady: to build a business that is not only sustainable but positioned to support the next generation of the family business.

“We’re always trying to improve what we’re doing,” Jacob said. “If we can keep building on that year over year, that’s what matters.”

The project also gave the team a clearer sense of direction, helping guide decisions around where to focus their time, energy, and resources.

“It gave us a better idea of where we fit and what we should focus on,” Jacob said.

That kind of clarity can be difficult to achieve without external support. By combining research expertise with hands-on collaboration, NC’s BCIC helps businesses translate complex market information into practical, actionable steps.

“We’ve always just kind of done things as they come,” he said. “This helped us step back and look at the bigger picture.”

For businesses navigating growth, shifting markets, or new opportunities, the ability to step back and make decisions with greater confidence can be a critical advantage.

“If you’re looking to grow your business and understand your market better, you shouldn’t hesitate,” Jacob said.

Businesses looking to better understand their market and strengthen their growth strategy can connect with David DiPietro to learn how NC’s Business and Commercialization Innovation Centre provides applied research support.