The verdict in three sentences
A German or French buyer judges a food manufacturer on its website before the first call: complete product sheets, visible certifications and a distributor area make the difference. The realistic 2026 budget is between 14,000 and 32,000 EUR excl. VAT depending on languages and number of products. With funding of up to 50% through Enterprise Ireland or Local Enterprise Office digital and export schemes, the net cost often falls below 16,000 EUR.
What export buyers really expect
The managing director of a Dublin bakery or dairy business often thinks translating the existing site is enough. Buyers from German retail chains or French wholesalers look for precise information, and close the tab within 30 seconds if they cannot find it.
| Buyer expectation | Content to provide | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory compliance | The 14 allergens, nutrition values, labelling per country | Essential |
| Certifications | BRCGS, IFS Food, organic, Origin Green, numbers and expiry dates | Essential |
| Logistics | Formats, case sizes, palletisation, shelf life, transport temperature | Essential |
| Production capacity | Annual volumes, lines, private label availability | High |
| Downloadable documents | Technical PDF sheets, certificates, price catalogue | High |
| Export contact | Name, languages spoken, direct phone, time zone | High |
| Proof | Customer references, trade fairs (SIAL, Anuga, ISM), factory photos | Medium |
Since Brexit, shipments through Great Britain and to the UK market add their own labelling and documentation requirements. A website showing these points are under control reassures the buyer immediately.
The three budget levels
| Item | Bilingual EN/FR essential | EN/FR/DE complete | EN/FR/DE + distributor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom design and build | 4,000 to 6,000 EUR | 5,500 to 8,000 EUR | 6,500 to 9,500 EUR |
| Product catalogue (structured sheets) | 30 to 60 sheets: 2,500 EUR | 60 to 120 sheets: 4,500 EUR | 120+ sheets: 6,000 EUR |
| Professional food-sector translation | 0.12 to 0.16 EUR per word, 2,500 EUR | 5,000 EUR | 6,500 EUR |
| Protected distributor area (prices, documents, orders) | Not included | Not included | 5,000 to 7,500 EUR |
| International SEO (hreflang, keywords per country) | 1,200 EUR | 2,200 EUR | 2,800 EUR |
| Product and factory photography | 1,500 EUR | 2,000 EUR | 2,500 EUR |
| Total excl. VAT | 14,000 to 16,000 EUR | 21,000 to 25,000 EUR | 27,000 to 32,000 EUR |
| Timeline | 8 to 10 weeks | 10 to 14 weeks | 14 to 18 weeks |
Translation is the most underestimated line. Unreviewed machine translation on allergen sheets can create legal liability. You need a food-sector translator, ideally a native speaker, and a review by the quality team.
A distributor area pays off as soon as a salesperson spends more than 3 hours a week emailing technical sheets and certificates. Each distributor gets a login with their prices, documents and an order form.
Funding available in Ireland in 2026
| Scheme | Provider | Indicative support | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Transition Fund or digital discovery grants | Enterprise Ireland | Part of consultancy and digital project costs | Client company status often required |
| Market Discovery Fund | Enterprise Ireland | Up to 50% of eligible market research costs | Must target a new market |
| Trading Online Voucher | Local Enterprise Office | Up to 2,500 EUR, co-funded 50% | Reserved for small businesses |
| Grow Digital or Grow Digital Voucher | Local Enterprise Office, Enterprise Ireland | Up to 5,000 EUR in some cases | Eligibility depends on size and sector |
| Bord Bia export support | Bord Bia | Market insight, trade fairs, buyer introductions | Food and drink sector only |
Amounts and caps change every year: this table is a 2026 order of magnitude, to be confirmed with your development adviser. The golden rule remains to apply before signing the quote, otherwise the expense is usually no longer eligible.
Mini case study
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Siobhan, CEO of a Dublin-area bakery producing oat biscuits and soda bread (12 million EUR revenue, 8% export), targets 15% within three years. She chooses the EN/FR/DE package with a distributor area at 29,500 EUR excl. VAT. Grant support covers 40%, or 11,800 EUR, leaving 17,700 EUR. Two new German distributors worth 180,000 EUR of annual revenue each, at a 7% net margin, generate 25,200 EUR of margin per year. The website pays for itself less than nine months after the second contract is signed.
FAQ
Do we need a separate website per country or one multilingual site?
One multilingual site with subfolders (/de/, /fr/) and hreflang tags is enough for 95% of manufacturers. A site per country only makes sense with very different ranges or prices.
Is machine translation enough for German and French?
It can serve as a first draft, with human post-editing at about 0.08 EUR per word. For allergen and technical sheets, review by a native speaker and by the quality team is mandatory.
Should prices be public?
In B2B export, rarely. Prices belong in the distributor area, differentiated by country and volume, which avoids conflicts between importers.
What does annual maintenance cost?
Allow 1,800 to 4,500 EUR excl. VAT per year for hosting, security updates and new product sheets. Certificate updates must be planned at each BRCGS or IFS renewal.
How long between a grant application and project start?
Between 4 and 10 weeks depending on the scheme. Writing the product sheets in parallel avoids losing time.
Let's scope your project. Bilingual or trilingual distributor-focused website, from 14,000 to 32,000 EUR excl. VAT, delivered in 8 to 18 weeks, with a file ready for your grant application. 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.
