Berytech is the leading incubator and Business Innovation Center in Lebanon offering companies of all sizes various services to help them grow and internationalize. Berytech offers exporters mentoring and coaching services, business advisory services (through the Lebanon Enterprise Development project (LED) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)), labs for prototyping and testing new products, as well as a Soft Landing (SL) service.

 

What is the USAID-funded LED project?

 

The Lebanon Enterprise Development (LED) is a three-year project funded by USAID which aims at supporting Lebanese enterprises including Lebanese exporters and at increasing jobs.

 

LED offers companies a customized assistance from Lebanese and International business consultants and service providers to identify and solve the problems that are preventing their business from growing. LED focuses on helping companies to increase their sales to new and existing customers in domestic or export markets, and consequently, grow their business and hire more Lebanese.

 

What is Flat Lab?

 

Berytech helps Lebanese exporters in testing new ideas or products through their Fab Lab, an open-access digital fabrication lab to create, prototype, and turn concepts into reality. The Fab Lab tools include 3D Printers, Laser Cutters, Vinyl Cutters, CNC Routers, Electronics Workbench, and much more…Membership fees to the Fab Lab range between USD 40 to USD 120 per month.

 

What is Soft Landing?

 

Innovative exporting companies in Lebanon that wish to explore a particular market and be on the ground to test the potential, they can benefit from logistical support (e.g. Accommodation Arrangements, Access to Office, IT) as well as other advisory services (statistics, networking events, business matchmaking…) offered by Berytech and its partner innovation centers around the world.

CBI’s Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Lebanon project is offering exporters of fresh Fruits and vegetables the following services:

 

• 4 year company coaching by different international and local specialists;
• Assistance with the creation of an international market strategy;
• Assistance in advice on certifications suitable to the company market entry strategy;
• Assistance with improving responsible business behavior;
• A market orientation mission to the European market;
• Participation in different international trade fairs;
• Complementary training on specific topics such as trade fair participation and CSR.

 

Company requirements to benefit from this project:

 

1- Type of company:

• Exporters which are also a producer
• Exporters with close relationships with its producers

 

2- Size: Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs):

• Exporters-Producers: 25-500 employees
• Exporters without own production: 5-50 employees

 

• At least 51% locally owned
• No joint venture with a company based in a non-developing country
• No licensing commitments that prohibit or limit export possibilities of products to the EU
• Competitive prices and sufficient production capacity
• Management which is able to communicate in English

The EBRD provides Small and Medium businesses in the productive sectors in Lebanon with consultancy services to help them grow. The Advice to Small Businesses (ASB) program implemented by EBRD and funded by the European Union aims to connect SMEs with local consultants and international advisers on a cost-share basis to help those companies become genuine catalysts for growth in their local economies and, subsequently, their regions.

ELCIM which is under the Industrial Research Institute/Ministry of Industry offers small and medium size manufacturing companies with a wide range of services to help them increase and improve their performance

 

ELCIM services include:

• Assessment of business strategy and potential
• Consultancy services to improve production technology, production planning, processing of products, packaging, storing, logistics, quality certification, environmental audits, strategic management, marketing, cost estimation, pricing policy
• Advice on how to access KAFALAT guarantee facilities
• Improve financial reporting of enterprises: qualified financial statement, financial feasibility study targeted to facilitate access to long-term financial resources
• Training for companies to improve financial reporting

 

ELCIM has a dedicated Food Advisory Unit for agrofood companies operating in Lebanon offering tailored advice to companies operating in this sector.

 

ELCIM also provides grants of up to USD 4,000 to manufacturing SMEs in Lebanon to cover 40% of the costs of consultants that support companies in one or many activities (marketing strategy, export study, quality and food safety management…).

QCC is an Advisory and Research Center operating from the Chamber of Commerce in Tripoli. The facility includes 900 square meters of laboratories to test the quality of food and non-food products.

It is recognized and authorized by Lebanese Ministries to issue food and beverage health certificates; Certificates are reported according to LIBNOR, Codex, and EU standards.

 

QCC Laboratories are accredited by ANSI - ASQ National Accreditation Board/ACLASS in accordance with recognized International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005.

 

Other services include:

• Consultancy and training on GMP “Good Manufacturing Practices”, GHP “Good Hygiene Practices”, and GLP “Good Laboratory Practices”
• Assistance in implementing Management Systems: ISO 9001 system “Quality Management System”, ISO 22000 system “Food Safety Management System” for plants working in the agrofood sector, and ISO 17025 system “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”
• Operational and Technical Training for food processors
• Consultancy on technologies and equipment for plants
• Product Improvement and new product Development
• Nutritional facts labels "on formulation"/ FDA Regulations – U.S. Labels – Professional Nutrition Analysis Software and Databases

The René Moawad Foundation (RMF) is implementing a project aimed at strengthening exports of fruits and vegetables from Lebanon to European and Regional Markets that started in August 2019 and will conclude in December 2022. Part of this project is to enhance the capacities of exporters and post-handling facilities. RMF is focusing on the technical side of the business (such as post-harvest issues, cold chain management and Global GAP-certification). The project targets farmers to produce improved and competitive agricultural products that comply with European and regional markets requirements. For more information, please visit this link.

The Embassy of Netherlands runs a program called PUM to help Lebanese enterprises get access to one-to-one technical advice from their network of more than 2,000 volunteer senior experts.  Either through short-term and repetitive advisory missions at the work floor, or through online coaching activities.

 

The enterprise only pays for the accommodation of the senior expert while PUM handles for the airplane ticket of the expert, insurance, visa costs, admin and other expenses.

 

Applying companies need to meet certain criteria to be eligible for this service. These can be found below:

• The company is privately owned (state-owned enterprises cannot apply)
• Over 50% of ownership of the company is in local hands
• The company needs to be operational for at least two years (starters are not accepted)
• The company has between 10 and 250 employees. For small companies the cost-benefit ratio of a project is leading, meaning that turnover should be (significantly) higher than mission costs
• Both the annual turnover and the balance sheet total should not exceed 10 million euros. The company is financially stable but has inadequate funds to afford (source) professional expertise from (external) commercial consultants or no local consultants are available. When the company is part of a holding or a group of companies these criteria are applicable to the holding or group
• The owner/entrepreneur must show enough commitment to be fully involved during the entire PUM project. This includes commitment during the expert visit(s), contact with the expert afterwards and the consecutive implementation of recommendations. Moreover, the owner/entrepreneur should be prepared to share data with PUM that is needed to measure the effectiveness of a mission
• The application form has to be filled in completely; special attention has to be given to the issue or problem that the PUM expert has to look into
• The company is prepared to apply with PUM’s price policy (please find it by clicking the button on the right side of this page: PUM price table and country list)
• Organizations that are not SMEs (business support organizations, Chambers of Commerce etc.) can apply, but only if they have an enabling role for the private sector

USAID is helping food companies in Lebanon through LINQ project which stands for Lebanon Investment in Quality. It is a USAID funded program that aims to increase the competitiveness and productivity of value-added agri-businesses in Lebanon reach export markets through investments in improved technology, food safety, quality assurance, marketing and branding.

For more information, please click here.