How Miels d’Anicet Set Up a Sweet ERP Implementation

Last updated : March 2025

Facing the challenges of managing multiple companies under one roof and struggling with an inefficient mix of outdated software and manual workarounds, Miels d’Anicet realized the need to streamline their operations and embrace a modern ERP solution.

We dive into a conversation with Kaven Davignon, their Managing Director, to explore how they tackled these obstacles head-on.

From the heavy administrative load of tracking inventory and ensuring traceability to optimizing their manufacturing processes, Kaven shares his insights and the transformative power of their ERP implementation.

The team at Miels d’Anicet was busier than their own bees. Too busy, in fact, due to double-digit growth over several years. Operating in the green valleys of Ferme-Neuve, 275 km northwest of Montreal, the company harvested honey from 1,200 beehives to transform it into delicious foods (jams, granolas) and natural personal care products (soaps, body balms). Miels d’Anicet also bred queen bees for sale across Canada.

The company reaches a crossroads

Part of the staff’s activity arose from operating five companies under one roof:

• An online B2B distribution platform
• Two online B2C stores
• A physical store at the farm
• A restaurant in the summer

But mostly, the inefficient activity stemmed from the tools the company used: a cobbled-together collection of in-house software, Acomba, and Access, which demanded more and more manual workarounds as the company grew. Working with consultants, the co-owners recognized that the company was at a crossroads: growth required them to streamline their operations. They set their sights on implementing an ERP system. In the spring of 2022, the company hired Kaven Davignon as their Managing Director. Trained as an urban planner, Davignon had worked in telecom and government helping business ecosystems grow. We wanted to learn how Davignon managed a smooth digital transformation under time constraints. Our discussion has been edited for clarity and brevity

What challenges did you face when you took on the role?

The manufacturing part of our operation was a heavy administrative load. We produce almost 150 products that take over 1,000 inputs to make. Tracking our inventory for these inputs and making sure we had enough stock for our production kept our staff busy, even when we were not in our high season. We make almost half our yearly revenue from June to September. It didn’t help that all sales, even if they’re captured online, were being entered manually into our accounting system. We were using outdated versions of in-house software, Acomba, and Access. Also, all our products are certified organic. So, we have to maintain a traceability process just in case there has to be a product recall. We were good with keeping records in Access, but when we wanted to go higher up in our supply chain to complete traceability, information got tough to track. Recruiting was an issue. During our peak season, we double our head count. I remember talking about job descriptions in interviews. I could see right there that I
was losing the candidate.

What were your goals when you started looking at ERP systems?

Managing our manufacturing was a high priority - staying on top of all the inputs in inventory, the finished products, and our multiple channels of distribution. We needed to be more efficient. Automation was tied to that goal. We wanted to eliminate a lot of the manual data entry in sales and other functions. We were convinced that, with the right system, we could continue to grow while reducing our staff by at least one
person per year. Integration was important, too. We had invested a lot in our e-commerce platforms. We wanted the ERP to integrate easily with those platforms.

Why did you choose Fidelio Cloud ERP?

Our short-list had four companies. We dropped two, and Fidelio was tied with another company. Your team made a big difference. Your colleagues made presentations that we found very reassuring. They were really knowledgeable and helpful. That impressed us. Fidelio’s cost was reasonable, and its cloud base was appealing to our employees doing remote work. Although everybody on our team is bilingual, we liked the fact that we could get service in French.

How did you organize your ERP implementation team?

I worked with four power users, one each from accounting, manufacturing, sales, and order processing. I took care of configuring the system, the users, and the manufacturing end.

Did you have any concerns going into the ERP implementation?

Regarding the ERP itself, we only had one concern. We didn’t want the ERP way of doing things to complicate our internal processes any further. They were already quite complicated. As I said, we have a wide range of products and we sell them on several platforms. Outside the ERP, we were concerned about the time constraints on our implementation. To continue qualifying for our government subsidies, we had to complete certain aspects of the project by June 30th (2023). We also wanted to be comfortable working with the ERP before our peak season.

How did you prepare for the implementation?

We’re very good at documenting our processes. That meticulousness comes from the company culture instilled by our co-owners. So for example, on the manufacturing side, it was easy for us to update all our recipes to make sure they reflected how we were producing products currently. We did the same update with our costing models. During the first six weeks, we set up templates so that we could populate the database correctly. The Fidelio documentation served as a good introduction to the implementation. What we found really helpful was having easy access to one of your analysts. He had quick answers or connected us with colleagues who could help.

How did the ERP implementation go?

Before every workshop you gave, I made sure everybody on the team had reviewed your documentation. So during the workshop, we were able to dive into the material with your colleagues. We requested some tweaks to the software, and your team was very responsive. We felt well supported by your various departments, and the project management was very good, too. Your team even came in a little under budget, which is always good news. We completed our implementation in six months, from October (2022) to April (2023). Our go-live was in April.

Any immediate benefits or results from the ERP?

The dynamic views function is a good fit with our existing internal processes for analysis. We’re analyzing sales and financials. Dynamic views are already speeding up our decision-making. Every day we get better at using it.

What’s next for Miels d’Anicet?

As we speak, we’re implementing the WMS (Warehouse Management System) and our stock management. We’re also fine-tuning our profiles in Fidelio. This will allow us to create better tools, like budget tracking and sales analyses for current performance against our history, for individual products, and for each distribution channel. This fine-tuning will save us time producing our monthly or weekly reports. We want to take advantage of our new capabilities by pursuing our expansion beyond Quebec into Ontario. Based on the feedback we’re getting in Toronto, we believe our products will hit a sweet spot.

Are you a manufacturer or a distributor?
To find out more about the various functionalities and flexibility of the ERP Fidelio system, contact us.