The verdict in three sentences
For a nut and dried fruit importer, the site has to be live before key buyer conversations, so plan around 12 realistic weeks for English and Dutch. Development is rarely the bottleneck: traceability and compliance content, supplier documentation and warehouse photography are what push timelines back. Start collecting documents in week one.
The plan, phase by phase
Timings are a 2026 market ballpark for a 12 to 20 page bilingual site.
| Phase | Duration | Deliverables | Usual blocker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | 1 to 2 weeks | Sitemap, page list, buyer messages | Management sign off |
| Content collection | In parallel, 2 to 5 weeks | Certificates, origin data, food safety documents | QA and purchasing teams |
| Design | 2 to 3 weeks | Home, product, traceability, contact | Review rounds |
| Build | 4 to 6 weeks | Responsive site, buyer enquiry form | Agency |
| Dutch translation | 1 to 2 weeks, in parallel | Reviewed Dutch pages | Commercial reviewer |
| QA and launch | 1 week | Mobile, forms, speed | Both sides |
| Total | 8 to 16 weeks | Bilingual site live |
On the EU deforestation regulation: check product by product whether what you trade falls within its scope in the official EU text. If you also handle in-scope commodities such as cocoa or coffee, due diligence and traceability pages become central and need legal review, which adds time.
Week by week over 12 weeks
| Week | What gets done | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discovery workshop, document checklist | Sitemap approved |
| 2 and 3 | Certificates, origins, storage and processing data | 80% of documents in |
| 4 and 5 | Designs for home and product pages | Designs approved |
| 6 to 9 | Build, English content loaded | Staging site live |
| 8 and 9 | Dutch translation and integration | Dutch pages reviewed |
| 10 and 11 | QA, compliance review, fixes | Issue list closed |
| 12 | Launch, form tracking | First buyer enquiry received |
What causes delays
| Cause | Typical delay | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Missing certificates or origin data | 1 to 3 weeks | Checklist handed over in week 1 |
| No warehouse photos | 1 to 2 weeks | Book a shoot in week 2 |
| Several directors signing off | 1 to 2 weeks | One named decision maker |
| Late legal review of compliance pages | 1 to 3 weeks | Book the reviewer at kick off |
| Pages added mid project | 1 to 3 weeks | Written change request only |
Kolonell's prices and timelines as a nearshore option: Starter at 1,220 to 1,830 EUR (5 pages, 7 to 10 business days), Growth at 1,830 to 3,050 EUR (8 to 12 pages, 14 to 21 business days), plus 110 EUR per extra language. These timelines assume content arrives on time.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Daan, managing director of a 30 person nut importer in Amsterdam, wants the new site live 4 weeks before a major food ingredients trade fair. He counts back: 12 weeks of project plus 2 weeks of buffer, so kick off 18 weeks before the fair. Budget: 22,000 EUR with a local agency. If the site helps sign one extra roaster account worth 400,000 EUR a year at a 6% margin, that is 24,000 EUR of margin, enough to cover the build in year one.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
FAQ
Can an importer's site be done in 4 weeks?
Yes for a 5 page site with ready content, for instance a Kolonell Starter in 7 to 10 business days. With traceability content and two languages, 10 to 12 weeks is more realistic.
Which traceability pages do we need?
Origins, quality control, storage and food safety certifications. Three to five pages are usually enough for a European buyer.
Do we need Dutch at launch?
English matters most for international buyers, but Dutch helps with local food manufacturers and recruitment. Allow 1 to 2 weeks of translation in parallel.
What if the trade fair is close and the site is not ready?
Launch a short 5 page version, then add the rest over 4 to 6 weeks. A partial site beats no site.
Is 10,000 to 35,000 EUR reliable?
It is a 2026 market ballpark for Amsterdam. The spread comes from page count, photography, languages and compliance review.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your launch deadline and target buyers, and we will build a backward week by week plan with a firm budget. 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.