The verdict in three sentences
A Munich company importing tuna from partner fleets and selling canned products under its own brand and retailers' private labels should brief agencies with a measurable specification, or it will receive three quotes that cannot be compared. Expect 15,000 to 60,000 EUR for 8 to 14 weeks, plus 150 to 700 EUR a month in maintenance (2026 market ballpark). The template below turns every wish into a testable requirement: SKU count, languages, load time, traceability documents.
The ready to fill template
Copy this table into your brief and complete the middle column. Every line should be checkable at acceptance testing.
| Section | To fill in | Measurable requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Example: 12 qualified private label enquiries per quarter | Request form with fields for volume, format, label type, target market |
| Languages | German and English | 100 % of pages in both languages at launch |
| Product catalogue | Number of SKUs (20 to 60) | One page per SKU: species, can size, net weight, oil or brine, case pack |
| Sourcing and fleets | Partner fleets, fishing areas, gear types | Sourcing page, fishing method page, map of FAO areas |
| Traceability and certification | MSC chain of custody, other schemes | Dedicated page, certificate code shown, last update date visible |
| Retail partners | Private label capabilities | Page covering minimum order logic, artwork process, lead times |
| Performance | Retail buyers on laptops and phones | Pages under 3 seconds on 4G, compressed images |
| Ownership | Domain, hosting, code | All in the company's name, logins handed over at delivery |
Traceability is what German retail buyers read first. They need to link a can to a species, area and fishing method, and MSC labelled products must match a valid chain of custody certificate.
Budget and schedule to state in the brief
Stating a budget range avoids off target proposals. 2026 market ballpark per work package:
| Work package | Scope | 2026 market ballpark | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery and sitemap | Workshops, site structure, content inventory | 1,500 to 4,000 EUR | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Design | Desktop and mobile mockups | 3,000 to 10,000 EUR | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Product catalogue | 20 to 60 SKU pages, filters by species and format | 3,000 to 12,000 EUR | 2 to 3 weeks |
| German copywriting and English translation | Whole site | 2,500 to 9,000 EUR | 2 to 4 weeks in parallel |
| Build and integration | CMS, forms, sourcing map | 4,000 to 20,000 EUR | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Testing and launch | QA, fixes, redirects, cookie consent | 1,000 to 5,000 EUR | 1 week |
For comparison, Kolonell's prices: Premium tier 3,050 to 5,340 EUR (21 to 30 working days), about 110 EUR per extra language, about 40 EUR per extra page, about 90 EUR per page of copywriting, about 230 EUR for a client area, and Standard maintenance at 114 EUR or Premium at 183 EUR a month.
Scoring grid to publish with the brief
| Criterion | Suggested weight | What the provider must supply |
|---|---|---|
| Grasp of food retail B2B | 25 % | Example product pages, approach to traceability content |
| Two-year total cost | 25 % | Build, maintenance, hosting and translation itemised |
| Schedule | 20 % | Week by week plan with sign-off milestones |
| Portability | 15 % | Code and login handover clause |
| German language quality | 15 % | Named native copywriter or review method |
In Germany, also require an Impressum, a GDPR compliant privacy notice and a consent banner that blocks non-essential cookies until the visitor agrees.
Mini case study
Illustrative example, fictional company: Katrin, head of sales at a 45 person tuna import and canning brand in Munich, supplies German and Austrian retailers. Using the template she sets: 36 SKUs, two languages, 10 sourcing photos, 12 private label enquiries per quarter.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
On that basis Kolonell prices: Premium at 4,500 EUR, English version (110 EUR), 26 SKU pages as extra pages (1,040 EUR), client area for spec sheets (230 EUR), so 5,880 EUR, plus 1,368 EUR a year for Standard maintenance. She adds 4,000 EUR for a native German copywriter. Year one: 11,248 EUR.
If the site brings 3 new private label contracts a year at an indicative gross margin of 25,000 EUR each, the gain reaches 75,000 EUR, more than six times the outlay.
FAQ
Should the brief include a budget?
Yes, a range is enough, for example 15,000 to 30,000 EUR. Without it, quotes can differ fourfold and become impossible to compare.
How many pages does a tuna brand need?
Around 12 to 20 pages outside the catalogue, plus 20 to 60 SKU pages. The catalogue is usually a CMS collection, so new SKUs take minutes to add.
How should MSC information be shown?
Show the chain of custody certificate code and link to the public certificate register, and only use the label on products that are actually certified. Check the scheme's own logo licensing rules before launch.
What timeline should we announce?
Plan 8 to 14 weeks, including 2 to 3 weeks of internal sign-off on product and sourcing data. Aim to go live before the major seafood trade fairs.
What should maintenance cover?
Backups, security updates and a few monthly edit hours, at 150 to 700 EUR a month on the market. Ask every bidder to itemise it.
Let's scope your project. Send us your completed brief, even partly filled: we will price each work package, languages and catalogue included, with a firm 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.