Agents or Importers

Agents or importers are very important entities and play a key role in alcohol sales, especially in a monopoly system like the LCBO (Ontario) or SAQ (Quebec). Hired by a producer, they negotiate with the monopoly to convince them to list their product and often have input into what the labeling will look like and how it is merchandized. Once listed, they help market and sell the product by calling on restaurants, bars, and hotels to get them to put the product on their wine list. They hold press tastings and public events to help promote the product. Quite simply, they are the liaison between the producer and the buyer. Occasionally, the monopoly deals directly with a producer, but more often than not, an agent is the go-between.