01
Market Entry
Market intelligence, competitive landscape, regulatory pathway, and entry strategy.
CPG growth & North American market entry
Build Your North American CPG Business.
Cortiq partners with ambitious consumer brands entering and scaling across Canada and the United States, from market entry and regulatory strategy to retail expansion, distribution, commercialization, and strategic growth.
Operator-led · 18+ years in consumer products
Brand creation · Commercialization · Cross-border expansion · Investment
Brand creation · Commercialization · Cross-border expansion · Investment
Operating credentials
Walmart Canada Growth Summit
Avolta Travel Retail
UNFI US Distribution
Amazon Marketplace
National Retail Grocery · Pharmacy · Natural
US Brand Built & Sold
Angel Investor
The problem
Entering North America is not a distribution problem. It is a commercial infrastructure problem.
Most brands stall because they solve one layer and assume the rest will follow. A listing without margin architecture bleeds cash. Distribution without demand sits in a warehouse. Retail without brand does not repeat.
The market is served by specialists who each own a single layer. None of them connect the chain. That gap is where launches quietly fail.
BrokersSell your existing product on commission. No supply chain, no brand, no compliance.
DistributorsOwn logistics and inventory. Not commercial strategy or brand building.
ConsultantsHand over a deck and advice. You are left to execute it alone.
CortiqOperates the full chain, from supply and compliance to brand, marketplace, retail, and capital.
What we do
From market entry to enterprise value.
Entering a market is not the objective. Building a commercially viable, scalable, and valuable North American business is.
02
Commercialization
Pricing, margins, channel architecture, product-market fit, and go-to-market.
03
Distribution
Distributor strategy, wholesale economics, logistics, 3PL, and channel development.
04
Retail Expansion
Grocery, pharmacy, mass, specialty, natural, travel retail, and strategic accounts.
05
Digital Commerce
Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, DTC, ecommerce infrastructure, and customer acquisition.
06
Strategic Growth
Capital strategy, valuation perspective, transaction readiness, and long-term value.
The consumer value chain
We have operated every link, not just advised on them.
Manufacturing→
Brand→
DTC→
Marketplace→
Distribution→
Retail→
International→
Capital→
Strategic Growth
Full-stack consumer experience is the real credential. It is what lets us connect decisions across the chain instead of optimizing one link at the expense of the next.
Case studies
Evidence, not theory.
Our perspective comes from building and operating consumer businesses across the value chain.
Case 01 · Beauty Brand
Canadian Grace®
Built & scaled · North American expansion
Challenge
Build a differentiated Canadian beauty brand from the ground up and establish the commercial infrastructure required to scale across retail, e-commerce, marketplaces, travel retail and the United States.
What we built
Outcome
Built from the ground up into a growing Canadian consumer brand with national retail, marketplace, travel retail and US distribution.
Brand Creation
Built the brand, positioning, product portfolio and commercial proposition around an oil-only approach to beauty.
Product & Supply Chain
Developed the product range, sourcing relationships, manufacturing processes, packaging and supply-chain infrastructure required to support growth.
Commercialization
Built pricing, margin architecture, channel strategy and the commercial model required to move from product launch to scalable distribution.
E-commerce & Marketplace
Built the DTC business and established Amazon and Walmart Marketplace as key channels for customer acquisition and sales.
Retail Expansion
Built retail distribution across natural health, grocery, pharmacy and specialty channels, including Walmart Canada and other national retail opportunities.
Travel Retail
Established a presence in travel retail through Avolta, opening another channel for international consumer reach.
US Market Entry
Built the pathway into the United States through UNFI distribution and cross-border e-commerce, creating the infrastructure for further US expansion.
Brand & Market Development
Built awareness, retail credibility and market traction through PR, trade shows, partnerships, influencer activity and consumer marketing.
Key milestonesWalmart Canada · Amazon · Walmart.ca · Avolta Travel Retail · UNFI US Distribution
RecognitionEuropean Natural Beauty Awards 2026 · Only Canadian brand shortlisted
Case 02 · Nutritional Supplements
Mommy Knows Best
Co-founded · built & exited
Challenge
Build and commercialize a US nutritional supplements brand from the ground up, establish a strong consumer proposition, and create a scalable business across e-commerce and retail.
What we built
Outcome
Co-founded, built, scaled and ultimately exited a US nutritional supplements brand.
Brand Creation
Co-founded the brand and developed the product proposition, positioning and commercial strategy for a competitive US supplements market.
Product & Commercialization
Built the product portfolio and commercial foundation required to take the brand from concept through launch and into sustained market growth.
E-commerce
Built and scaled the direct-to-consumer business, developing the digital infrastructure and customer acquisition engine required to grow online.
Amazon & Marketplace
Established and scaled Amazon as a core growth channel, using marketplace strategy to build visibility, sales and distribution.
US Retail
Expanded the business beyond e-commerce into retail, creating a multi-channel consumer brand with broader distribution and market reach.
Growth & Operations
Built the commercial and operating foundation required to scale the business while managing product, channels, customers and growth.
Exit
Built the company with long-term strategic value in mind and ultimately exited the business through a successful acquisition.
OutcomeCo-Founded. Built. Scaled. Exited.
Case 03 · Contract Manufacturing
Shay Labs
Built from the ground up · multi-million-dollar sales
Challenge
Build a cosmetics contract manufacturing and private-label business from the ground up, creating the infrastructure, supply chain and operating systems required to serve consumer brands at scale.
What we built
Outcome
Built from zero to a multi-million-dollar sales business.
Manufacturing
Built the manufacturing operation from zero, including production processes, operational systems, quality controls and capacity planning.
Product & Formulation
Developed the capability to take products from concept through formulation, specifications and commercial production.
Global Sourcing
Built international supplier relationships across ingredients, packaging and manufacturing inputs, including direct sourcing from China.
Supply Chain
Managed procurement, inventory, lead times, logistics and supplier relationships across a growing manufacturing operation.
Commercial Economics
Built the cost structures, pricing, margins and production economics required to make the business commercially viable and scalable.
B2B Operations
Built the systems required to manage multiple consumer-brand customers, product requirements, production schedules and delivery requirements.
Scaling
Expanded the operation from a new venture into a multi-million-dollar sales business while managing supply, capacity, quality and working capital.
OutcomeBuilt from zero to a multi-million-dollar sales business.
Track record
Built from the inside out.
We do not advise from theory. Our perspective comes from operating across the consumer value chain.
18+
Years in consumer products
4
Consumer categories
2
North American markets
1
Brand built & exited
Manufacturing → Brand → Ecommerce → Marketplace → Retail → Distribution → International expansion → Investment.
Strategic growth
Growth creates opportunity. Scale creates strategic options.
Cortiq brings an operator's and investor's perspective to the moments that decide a company's value: how it is positioned, how it prepares for capital, and how it builds toward a future strategic outcome.
Having built, scaled, and sold a consumer brand, and invested in others, we advise founders on readiness rather than run transactions on their behalf.
- Growth strategy and commercial positioning
- Business and valuation readiness
- Preparation for institutional capital
- Strategic buyer positioning
- Long-term value creation
Who we work with
Built for brands with ambition.
We partner with
- International consumer brands entering Canada
- Canadian brands preparing for US expansion
- Established brands seeking new distribution
- Founder-led businesses preparing for institutional capital
- Consumer companies building toward a future transaction
Engagements are selective and built around the commercial opportunity.
We are not for
- Pre-revenue concepts seeking basic startup advice
- Brands without proven product or existing sales
- Companies without capacity to supply or expand
- Projects looking for volume-consultancy hours
The right fit has a proven product, real sales, and the capital and ambition to scale.
Founder
Shahnawaz "Shay" Sheikh
Consumer brand operator · Strategic advisor · Investor
View LinkedIn profile →
OPERATEBuilt and scaled consumer businesses across North America.
COMMERCIALIZEProduct, manufacturing, ecommerce, marketplace, distribution, retail.
EXPANDBuilt cross-border pathways across Canada and the United States.
TRANSACTExperience across investment, an exit, and strategic growth.
SOURCEFifteen years sourcing and managing supply from China for his own brands, from factory and cost structure to finished product.
Leadership
Cortiq is led by an operator, not a consultant. Shay Sheikh has spent more than eighteen years building consumer brands on both sides of the border, including a US brand he built and sold, and a Canadian brand, Canadian Grace®, that today sits across Walmart, Amazon.ca, Walmart.ca, Avolta travel retail, and UNFI distribution in the United States. He has scaled brands to significant revenue across Amazon and retail, and spent fifteen years sourcing his own products from China, so he understands a brand's supply chain and cost structure as fluently as its route to shelf.
Cortiq was born from the operating experience required to build Canadian Grace, not from a consulting playbook. That brand cleared the path most international companies find impossible: regulatory compliance, national retail, marketplace, travel retail, and cross-border distribution.
The firm exists to bring that same operating perspective to other consumer brands building a North American business, in a fraction of the time it takes to learn it alone.
How we work
Four ways to engage.
01
Advisory
Strategic guidance for brands evaluating or preparing for North American expansion.
02
Execution
Hands-on commercial execution across market entry, distribution, retail, and marketplace.
03
Representation
For selected brands, Cortiq acts as the company's North American commercial extension.
04
Strategic
Growth, capital readiness, and long-term value creation for scaling businesses.
Your next market should be a growth strategy, not a guess.
Tell us where your brand is today, where you want to go, and what stands between you and the North American market.
Email shay@cortiq.com
LinkedIn Shay Sheikh
Office 5063 North Service Road, Suite 100, Burlington, ON L7L 5H6, Canada