The verdict in three sentences
For a fragrance and flavour house website, the best partner is one that can deliver both a premium look and a secure customer portal for safety data sheets, specifications and certificates, which rules out narrow specialists from the start. As a 2026 market ballpark, budgets range from EUR 18,000 to 70,000 depending on the provider type, over 10 to 18 weeks. Our ranking puts a specialist B2B web agency working with a design partner first, ahead of a brand agency alone, which tends to overcharge on the technical side.
What the site has to do for a Dublin flavour house
The marketing director of a Dublin house that creates flavours for food and beverage brands and fragrances for personal care speaks to demanding buyers: product managers, regulatory affairs teams, R&D leads. The site must look the part, but mainly save them time: online brief submission and sample requests, access to safety data sheets, allergen and food contact declarations, EU flavouring compliance statements and certificates. The customer portal alone accounts for EUR 5,000 to 14,000 as a 2026 market ballpark.
| Project component | 2026 market ballpark (EUR, ex VAT) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Art direction and design | 3,500 to 17,000 | Varies widely by provider |
| Build of the main site in English plus one language | 6,000 to 23,000 | Translation excluded |
| Customer portal for regulatory documents | 5,000 to 14,000 | Per customer access, version history |
| Brief and sample request forms | 1,200 to 5,000 | Attachments, routing to the right account manager |
| Content, photography and translation | 2,300 to 11,000 | Often underestimated |
| Total | 18,000 to 70,000 | Depends on provider type |
| Support | 250 to 800 per month | Including portal support |
Provider types ranked
We rank types of providers, never named agencies. Criteria are stable: two year total cost, timeline, reversibility (switching provider without rebuilding) and support.
| Rank | Provider type | Two year total cost (2026 ballpark) | Timeline | Reversibility | Support | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Specialist B2B web agency with design partner | EUR 33,000 to 58,000 | 12 to 16 weeks | Good on a standard CMS | Good, support contract | Balanced brand and portal needs |
| 2 | Brand agency subcontracting the build | EUR 47,000 to 88,000 | 14 to 18 weeks | Average, two vendors | Variable | Full brand repositioning |
| 3 | IT services firm or systems integrator | EUR 40,000 to 82,000 | 12 to 20 weeks | Good, documented code | Very good, on call possible | Portal linked to ERP or PLM |
| 4 | Nearshore agency | EUR 9,000 to 23,000 | 6 to 10 weeks | Good if code is handed over | Remote, close time zones | Tight budget, tightly scoped brief |
| 5 | Solo freelancer | EUR 12,000 to 30,000 | 10 to 18 weeks | Weak, single person dependency | Limited | Showcase site without portal |
The freelancer ranks last not on quality, which is often excellent, but because a regulatory portal needs service continuity one person struggles to guarantee. The nearshore agency ranks fourth: much cheaper, but it requires a precise brief and video meetings. Whatever you choose, the portal processes customer data, so the contract should include a GDPR data processing agreement; the Data Protection Commission publishes guidance for Irish controllers.
Where Kolonell fits
Kolonell is a nearshore option based in Dakar, on Dublin time in winter and one hour behind in summer. Here are Kolonell's prices: Premium website at 3,050 to 5,340 EUR (2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA), 21 to 30 business days, client area at about 230 EUR, extra language at about 110 EUR, copywriting at about 90 EUR per page. A portal with per customer permissions and document versioning is scoped as a simple custom application, at 3,810 to 6,100 EUR. Kolonell's Premium care plan is 183 EUR a month. For a highly creative rebrand, a local brand agency remains the better fit.
| Decision criterion | Question to ask | Answer to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Reversibility | Who owns the code and admin access? | You, from handover |
| Regulatory documents | How are SDS versions managed? | Visible history and update dates |
| Confidentiality | Who sees which document? | Per customer permissions, access log |
| Support | What is the incident response time? | Written into the contract |
| Languages | Who translates technical sheets? | Specialist translator, no raw machine output |
Mini case study
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Illustrative example, not a client: Aoife, marketing director at a 70 person flavour house in Dublin. She receives a brand agency proposal at EUR 58,000 with EUR 700 monthly support, and a B2B web agency proposal at EUR 38,000 with EUR 450 a month. Over two years that is EUR 74,800 against EUR 48,800. She picks the web agency and uses part of the EUR 26,000 difference for a product shoot and the French translation of 30 specification sheets.
FAQ
Do we need a brand agency for a flavour house website?
Only if you are reworking your whole identity. For a site that mainly serves buyers and regulatory teams, a B2B web agency with an art director is enough, at EUR 28,000 to 50,000.
Is the customer portal essential?
It pays off once your team emails more than 20 to 30 safety data sheets a month. It costs EUR 5,000 to 14,000 as a 2026 market ballpark.
How many languages should we plan?
English plus the language of your biggest export market, often French or German. Budget EUR 2,300 to 5,800 of translation per language.
What timeline for a premium site?
10 to 18 weeks depending on provider type, with the portal adding 3 to 5 weeks.
How do we avoid vendor lock in?
Require a standard CMS, the source code and admin access at handover, and portal documentation. That is worth more than EUR 5,000 of upfront savings.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your languages, regulatory documents and indicative budget, and we will propose a costed scope, customer portal included, with a realistic schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
