Canada is home to a diverse and dynamic food and beverage industry, supported by educational programs that train the next generation of chefs, brewers, entrepreneurs, and innovators. This roundup highlights 50 standout programs across the country, from top culinary schools and hospitality management courses to cutting-edge research initiatives and sustainability-focused training. Whether you're an aspiring professional, educator, or industry enthusiast, these programs provide valuable insights into the evolving world of food and drink in Canada. BC & Yukon Vancouver Community College UBC BCIT LaSalle College (Vancouver) UBC: Food, Nutrition, and Health Okanagan College Vancouver Island University University of Fraser Valley Northern Lights College North Island College Yukon University Selkirk College Thompson Rivers University Kwantlen Polytechnic University Prairies Saskatchewan Polytechnic University of Alberta University of Saskatchewan University of Manitoba SAIT NAIT Manitoba Institute of Trades & Technology International College of Manitoba Ontario Niagara College Humber College Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa George Brown College Fanshawe College Brock University University of Guelph Toronto Metropolitan University Loyalist College Georgian College Conestoga College Durham College Centennial College Canadore College Algonquin College Trent University St. Lawrence College St. Clair College Sault College Lambton College Confederation College Quebec McGill University LaSalle College Bishop's University Atlantic Canada University of PEI Memorial University Cape Breton University
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50 Food & Beverage Programs - Vancouver Island University
Crafting a Career in BC ’ s Wine Industry: VIU ’ s Wine Business Program The Wine Business program at Vancouver Island University is a comprehensive one-year certificate course designed for those passionate about pursuing a career in the BC wine industry. The program combines practical experience with academic learning in viticulture, wine business practices, marketing, and tourism. Program Highlights: As a student, you ’ ll have the chance to immerse yourself in hands-on experiences at local vineyards and wineries, gaining insights into the entire winemaking process. This practical foundation is then complemented by academic courses in viticulture, wine business practices, marketing, and tourism. A standout feature of this program is its flexibility. Whether you ’ re looking to study full-time for a year or prefer a part-time option spread over two years, VIU has you covered. Located in picturesque Nanaimo, BC, VIU provides an ideal setting for your wine education journey. With a curriculum designed to integrate viticulture essentials with business acumen, VIU ’ s Wine Business program offers a holistic understanding of the wine industry. Students can also earn credits that can be applied toward a Bachelor of Business or a Hospitality and Tourism Management program, opening doors to a wide range of future career prospects. The program includes seven courses and focuses on the broader aspects of the wine industry. In addition to viticulture and winemaking, students delve into wine marketing, exporting, and the vital role of wine tourism. C ourses cover a wide spectrum, from wine marketing and appreciation to beverage theory and the management of wine tourism. The program also offers elective courses in consumer behavio u r, entrepreneurship, and festival management . What You’ll Leave With: Upon graduation, a world of opportunities awaits you in BC ’ s wine industry. Whether you dream of managing a vineyard, excelling in wine s ales and marketing, or even opening your own restaurant, VIU ’ s Wine Business program provides the knowledge and skills to make your wine-related ambitions come true. Career options span winery/vineyard management, retail sales, wine marketing representation, hotel management, culinary arts, a gri - tourism development, and s pecial events coordination. V ideo/Social / Media : VIU YouTube Video
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Cellular Food in Canada
The past few years have proven how susceptible Canada’s food industry is to world events, supply chain disruptions and climate changes. New food production technology, such as cellular agriculture, has the potential to alleviate some of these challenges, while creating commercial opportunities and building a more sustainable, resilient food system. What is it? Cellular food – also known as engineering biology, synthetic biology or cell-cultivated products – is the production of food and textile products without using animals or land. Cell cultures harvested from animals, plants or micro-organisms are grown in the lab through tissue engineering or precision fermentation to produce: Cultivated proteins such as chicken, beef and seafood Fermented products like dairy, eggs, honey and chocolate Ingredients to add to products to create hybrid foods including proteins, enzymes, flavour molecules, vitamins, pigments and fats Textiles such as leather, silk and wool Why you should care As global population continues to grow, so does demand for protein, while access to land and other resource inputs become more scarce. Alternative agriculture could be an answer to food scarcity, concerns about animal and environmental welfare, cost inflation and resource challenges due to climate change. Compared to conventional agriculture, cellular agriculture production, is much less energy intensive, produces less greenhouse gas emissions, and has a much lower overall carbon footprint. With our strong food infrastructure, reputation for food safety, biotechnical expertise, and federal support for alternative protein production, Canada is well positioned to become a leader in cellular agriculture. The 2021 report Cellular Agriculture: Canada’s $12.5 Billion Opportunity in Food Innovation from Ontario Genomics and the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley found that the international cellular agriculture market will reach US$100 billion by 2032. Canada’s food industry has the potential to take $12.5 billion that market, while creating up to 142,000 high-paying jobs. Opportunities in Canada Engineered plant proteins are already in the Canadian market, and by all estimates, precision fermented products are expected to appear before cultured meat products. Current Canadian regulations consider food produced through cellular agriculture as a novel food, and products are approved on a case-by-case basis. Here are a few Canadian start-ups making headlines: Because Animals – This Toronto-based pet food company uses cultured ingredients such as probiotics and nutritional yeast to create nutrient-rich cat and dog food designed to help digestive issues. Future Fields – Edmonton, AB-based Future Fields is a R&D producing growth media products that can be used to create commercialized cultivated proteins in a safe and sustainable manner. Cell-Ag Tech – Toronto’s Cell-Ag Tech is doing R&D on cell-cultured fish and seafood. New Harvest International non-profit research institute New Harvest , which promotes the science behind cultured meat through research, funding and a conference , now has a Canadian branch.
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Other Articles
News File – December 16, 2022
Each Friday we’ll bring you a roundup of news from CFIN, YODL and around the food world. As seen on YODL Check out this week’s most viewed discussions: Beverage sales industry | question | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Oatbox to manufacture an oat milk base for eastern Canada and Northeastern U.S. | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Creating circular economy from food waste streams (Post farm produce and food scraps) | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World Fragrance and taste company Firmenich has announced dragon fruit as the flavour of the year for 2023. Mondelēz is working on sugar and fat reducing technology for chocolate. Believer Meats has broken ground on what will be the world’s largest production facility for cultivated meat. Did you Know? The recently released Change of Taste survey from meal kit company Goodfood shows that Canadians are dealing with food inflation and supply chain issues by opting to eat at home more frequently than before the pandemic. The survey found: Only 6% of consumers say they’d rather go out to eat or get takeout on a typical night; 78% say they’d prefer to stay in. 46% of consumers say they eat breakfast and 30% eat lunch at home more often now, compared to 41% and 27% pre-pandemic. More than 33% of consumers say higher food costs will impact their holiday menu, and 50% of consumers say they worry that their holiday menu will be impacted by ingredient shortages. 91% of consumers say they’re prepared to pay more for local products; 66% say they’d spend more for food with a lower carbon footprint; and 78% say they’d spend more on food that is sustainably sourced. 86% of consumers say they’d be willing to pay more for food that’s good for them.
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2022's Top Online Shopping Articles
Offering online options for customers has become a necessity for food businesses, from manufacturers to foodservice operators and grocers. This year we've looked at how consumers have permanently changed their shopping habits when they're looking for food and beverages, and how food operators are responding with mobile apps, service partners, and automated technology. In case you missed them, here are our top articles on online food sales. The Rise of Food Apps New Pathways to the Pantry Are Screens the New Stores? Shop to the Future Roundtable: Consumer Demands, Technology, and Changing Access to Food The Future of Ecommerce
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Cybersecurity and the Food Industry - Ransomware 101
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CFIN Funded Projects - Company Profiles
CFIN supports Canadian food and beverage companies by providing funding opportunities for innovation. Here are the companies which have successfully applied for and received funding, organized by program. Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs. June 9, 2022 - Food Innovation Challenge Gastronomous August 3, 2022 - Innovation Booster Henry’s Tempeh Inc. Index BioSystems Nutrimeals Trendi Tech November 3, 2022 - Innovation Booster Cascadia Seaweed Escarpment Laboratories Forward Water Technologies PLAN Automation Inc. Suppli January 17, 2023 - Food Innovation Challenge BioShur Earthware Reusables Liven Proteins Rapid Aid Corp. Saltwinds Coffee Company Smallfood TheoryMesh Vivid Machines February 16, 2023 - FoodTech Next Program App8 Incorporated BetterCart Analytics CleanBands Cyberworks Robotics Relocalize Inc. March 22, 2023 - Food Innovation Challenge (Plastics) Copol International Ltd. Food Cycle Science Corporation. May 30, 2023 - Innovation Booster Program CarbonGraph Cibotica Freshline Impactful Health R&D New School Foods September 19, 2023 Food Innovation Challenge Program Verschuren Centre Myo Palate October 24, 2023 Innovation Booster Program Cronometer Software Biofect Innovations Psigryph, Inc. Millennia TEA Fresh Prep Foods Tait Labratories December 5, 2023 - Food Innovation Challenge Program Crush Dynamics Media Coverage: TechCouver , Business in Vancouver , Accelerate Okanagan , Food in Canada January 29, 2024 - FoodTech Next Program Index Biosystems Harvest Moon Foods CanDry Technologies Real Life Robotics DeepSight Réalité Augmentée Renaissance BioScience Corp. Maia Farms Inc. RFINE Biomass Solutions Inc. Media Coverage: BC Business , TechCouver , Betakit , Food in Canada, Canadian Manufacturing , Food Engineering March 13, 2024 - Innovation Booster Program GreenCo Robots Inc. Cheffer Technologies Inc. Profillet Dispension Industries Inc. Transport Genie Ltd. JAKS Automation Inc. Media Coverage: TechCouver, Food in Canada , Food Engineering
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The Tablesetter – December 12, 2022
Happy Monday CFIN members! Here’s your weekly heads up on what’s happening on YODL and around the food world this week. The YODL Menu Monday: The Tablesetter – December 12 Tuesday: A Collection of CFIN Member Profiles Wednesday: Webinar– Ransomware in the Food Industry (VIDEO) Thursday: Regional Highlights from 2022 Friday: News File Something to Celebrate December 15, 2022 is National Tea Day! According to the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada , Canadians drink eight cups of tea annually on a per capita basis, and 55% of consumers drink at least one cup per week. Each year $349 million worth of tea is sold in grocery stores across the country. Almost half of consumers (48%) say they prefer black tea, with Darjeeling, Assam and Ceylon mentioned as the most popular varieties. Food Facts According to Nourish Food Marketing’s 2023 Trend Report: The Future is Transformative , Canadians are eating less meat and adding more plant-based foods for many reasons, including climate change, animal welfare issues, affordability, and a desire for more sustainable food choices. Citing Mintel statistics, Nourish found that among global consumers: 33% of consumers considered themselves carnivores in 2021, compared to 28% in 2022. 49% said they were omnivores in 2021, compared to 51% in 2022. 10% considered themselves to be flexitarian in 2021, compared to 13% in 2022. The number of consumers who considered themselves pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans in 2021 were 2%, 3% and 1% respectively. Those numbers didn’t change in 2022. Happy YODLing!
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News File – December 9, 2022
Each Friday we’ll bring you a roundup of news from CFIN, YODL and around the food world. As seen on YODL Check out this week’s most viewed discussions: Brewery and solar power | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) 2022 food industry problem and 2023 outlook? | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Beverage Co-Packing/Production - Partner with Us! Beer // Wine // Spirits // CFIA // SFCR | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World NielsenIQ’s Carman Allison shared his views on consumer spending in his presentation “ Gauging a Consumer Recession ” at the recent GroceryConnex show. Restaurants Canada is calling for nominations in its annual Awards of Excellence for the foodservice sector. MeliBio has produced a plant-based honey for foodservice. Did you Know? According to Restaurants Canada , annual commercial foodservice sales in Canada are forecast to grow to $82.6 billion for 2022, reflecting a strong rebound in consumer spending this summer combined with higher menu prices. However, adjusted for menu inflation, real sales are still 4.4% below pre-COVID levels. Sales in the quick-service restaurant sector will hit $37.9 billion in 2022, representing just a small jump when adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, sales in full-service restaurants are up 5.7% compared to 2019, although real sales are 6% lower than pre-COVID levels. The organization predicts that foodservice sales will increase by 5.7% in 2023 to $87.4 billion. While that number represents a 13.4% increase compared to 2019 sales, real sales adjusted for menu inflation are expected to still be 4% below pre-pandemic levels.
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Roundtable: How should we view plant-based foods?
YODLers have had a lot to say when it comes to plant-based foods, and recent discussions on YODL have received record views and comments. We invited CFIN members to participate in a virtual roundtable to hear more on the issue. Participants Sophie Beauchemin , La Milanaise Lavina Gully , CFIN regional innovation director, BC/Yukon James Street , director, business development, Protein Industries Canada Q: Should plant-based foods be sold alongside vegan products, meat products, with fresh produce, or in a separate area? Sophie Beauchemin: The product needs to be where the customer will find them. So, depending on which customer you are looking to sell to, the product should be in that area. If it can, it should be in both areas. Personally, I wish to find all plant-based products in a plant-based section, which is much easier to find. James Street : I feel that the plant-based meat category needs its own area. Adjacent perhaps, but distinct. Retail has had success identifying space for gluten free and local. It is very dynamic – retailers would benefit from taking a longer view and recognize that consumer adoption needs some time – dedicate some space to help customers become familiar and then begin adjusting based on sales. I recognize space is limited (I built and ran my own grocery store) but expectations need to be realistic – we are still a ways from figuring this out, adoption rates are still low. Vegetarians and vegans are unlikely to explore the meat section to find a plant-based alternative – why force them to do it? Space is ultimately given to those brands and products that generate sales, which further compounds the risks with new, plant-based products. As we see overall adoption increase, stores will be happy to dedicate more space and effort. It’s a classic chicken and egg scenario which suggests an ebb and flow dynamic as stores/brands make an investment in space, contract a bit and reposition based on the learnings, then invest again, learn and adjust. Jumping to a predetermined “plan-o-gram” that instantly boosts sales is unrealistic. This is still a long game. We need to spend more time experimenting and analyzing consumer behavior before they get to the till. Q: How does the end user affect product development, distribution, retail location? Sophie Beauchemin: It affects everything. Lavina Gully: Understanding the need states of the end user will help to create a clear and strategic product brief that zeroes in on the right positioning. Prioritize what is most meaningful and what your research shows will drive purchase intent. Be mindful of building too many features into a product and over-engineering it – you can’t be everything to everyone. Consumers may initially be tempted by claims, but if the product doesn’t taste good, they won’t repurchase. James Street: The end user is a stage that is often explored last. The industries (manufacturing and retail) need to share intel more about how people shop. Asking someone at the door or in the aisle if they prefer this or that is a waste of time. Sales data and the mapping of shopping patterns tell a clearer story. Asking the end user how they use the product is also important. Is the plant-based Italian sausage being sliced on a pizza and subjected to dry 400-degree heat, or is it “crumbled” into a pasta sauce and simmered for a couple hours. The use of the product demands the attributes of the functionality and if the product doesn’t function and taste well during the end users cooking it doesn’t get purchased again. Q: Why should it (or shouldn’t it) matter what we name plant-based products? Do we need guidelines around marketing these products? Sophie Beauchemin: It is easier to sell fake bacon then selling tenderized smoky tofu because the buyer has a reference, and it speaks more to him. I also can understand if I sell milk that I want my product to be protected against those new competitors. For me, almond milk is not milk, and plant-based yogurt is not regular yogurt. James Street: It matters to dairy-based cheese producers if you use cheese – not the consumer. This applies to all categories. Consumers need clear definitions and names that help categorize foods. Nomenclature is important as it is one of the first stages in the consumer making the decision. Confusion does not translate into sales. The barrier is getting past the non-plant-based categories. Look at margarine’s history. Q: What innovations do you see in the plant-based industry within the next five years? Sophie Beauchemin: Less transformation, fewer ingredients. Lavina Gully: More multi-component meal concepts that offer a full flavour and texture experience. Incorporating plant proteins into meal kits, bowls or traditional classics like Shepherd’s pie allows developers to use sauces and other seasonings to deliver more than just a meaty taste. Also, with precision fermentation advancing at a rapid pace, perhaps we’ll see a return to using ingredients like egg albumin in meat analogue formulations. Some of the best analogue products I’ve ever had incorporated albumin for that juicy and bouncy texture. Egg proteins were largely reformulated out in order to veganize, but various companies are working on animal-free versions. James Street: Convergence of new technologies in the food space to solve for texture – layering of muscle and fat like tissues. New and novel fats, and new and novel solvents. Hopefully a better understanding of the relationship between plant-based ingredients and the human craving (dopamine response). Want to participate in a roundtable? Contact Jamil@cfin-rcia.ca
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Company Spotlight – Cascadia Seaweed
This is one of a series of profiles of CFIN members that have successfully applied for and received funding through CFIN’s Innovation Booster program . Cascadia Seaweed is a vertically integrated company located in Sidney, BC. In partnership with coastal First Nations, we install low-impact farms in the ocean and cultivate a climate-positive seaweed crop. Seaweed does not require arable land or freshwater to grow and has a long list of product uses – seaweed can be used as a nutritional whole food or ingredient, as a biostimulant to enhance crop soil conditions to grow food and feed, and as a livestock feed supplement diversifying the supply of feed, improving animal health and reducing methane emissions. These are the avenues that Cascadia Seaweed is pursuing to develop and build a more resilient food system in Canada. The company received $71,911 in funding for a project to monitor the variance in beneficial and hazardous components of seaweed to optimize industrial processing for food applications. We sat down with Cascadia Seaweed CEO Mike Williamson to talk about the company. Q: What is your company’s mission? A: In partnership with coastal First Nations, Cascadia Seaweed is on a mission to become the largest producer of ocean-cultivated seaweed in North America to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a more resilient food system. Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it? A: Cultivating and processing seaweed at scale in Canada is still relatively unfamiliar. In order to maximize the value of this climate-positive crop we must understand the effects of various processing methods and learn to extend its shelf-life. Funding from CFIN will help Cascadia Seaweed complete this testing and analysis and therefore add to the growing body of knowledge to support the growth of the sector across Canada. Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds. A: Public funding accelerates a company’s ability to provide information, adding value to the business and the sector. In our case, as we build revenue-generating streams, public funding allows us to conduct meaningful research in tandem with regular business activities. Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company? A: As Cascadia Seaweed continues to grow, we aim to improve our processes and drive costs down in an effort to provide a competitive, yet profitable, source of value-added seaweed products grown in the pristine waters of British Columbia. The more seaweed we cultivate, the more benefit we can provide to local communities, ocean ecosystems, and the Canadian food system. Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs.
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Revisiting YODLs Top Videos
YODL regularly posts videos on issues affecting the food and beverage industry in Canada. Our videos have covered trade shows, plastic waste, digitization, innovation and more. In case you've missed them, here are links to some of the most popular videos of 2022. Algorithms and their use in food processes Auditing your operations and moving to a circular economy Innovation at SIAL Paris Collaboration in the food industry The Canada Plastics Pact Canada's Import Replacement Opportunity Is there an issue you'd like us to cover? Contact @JamilKarim to let us know!
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The Tablesetter – December 5, 2022
Happy Monday CFIN members! Here’s your weekly heads up on what’s happening on YODL and around the food world this week. The YODL Menu Monday: The Tablesetter – December 5, 2022 Tuesday: The Top Videos of 2022 Revisited Wednesday: Member profile – Cascadia Seaweed Thursday: Roundtable – Views on Plant-Based Products Friday: News File Something to Celebrate December 6, 2022 is National Microwave Oven Day! Based on radar technology developed during World War II, the microwave oven was invented in 1945 by Percy Spencer of Raytheon, who realized foods could be heated with microwaves through use of a magnetron. The first Raytheon Radarange microwave was released in 1947 was a six-ft. tall unit with a $5,000 price tag. While early machines were intended for restaurant and airline use, the first residential microwaves appeared on the market in 1955. But it wasn’t until the late 1990s that most Canadian homes had a microwave oven. Food Facts According to Nourish Food Marketing’s 2023 Trend Report: The Future is Transformative , younger consumers are prioritizing health and personalization more than other generations. Here’s a few examples: 52% of millennials say they are or plan to prioritize better health in the near future, compared to 47% of all consumers. 48% of millennials are prioritizing better nutrition, compared to 40% of all consumers. 31% of millennials strongly agree that they prefer personalized products, services and apps, compared to 25% of Gen Zs, 16% of Gen Xs, 10% of boomers, and 20% of all consumers. Happy YODLing!
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News File – December 2, 2022
Each Friday we’ll bring you a roundup of news from CFIN, YODL and around the food world. As seen on YODL Check out this week’s most viewed discussions: L' eau en canette : le marché du futur pour les microbrasseries? | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Les 25 plus grandes entreprises de transformation alimentaire au Québec | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) The Worlds Largest Food Companies Are Struggling with Carbon Targets | Open Forum (cfin-rcia.ca) Around the Food World New guidelines for food and beverage manufacturers from Food Allergy Canada . Natasha Dhayagude , CEO and co-founder of Chinova Bioworks, and a member of CFIN’s Board of Directors receives the Innovation Award at the 2022 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. A new review by researchers at Stockholm University looks at the sustainability of plant-based alternatives compared to meat and dairy. Did you Know? Nourish Food Marketing’s 2023 Trend Report: The Future is Transformative lists nine trends transforming the agricultural and food and beverage industries. They are: 1. The rise of reducatarianism – trading “either/or” for “everything, but less” 2. Good eats, better sleeps – The role of food as a sleep aid to promote overall well-being 3. This one’s for the ladies – Female food is a missed opportunity we can no longer overlook 4. Food without borders – Social media unites us globally so we can shop and cook together 5. Robots, AI, and connected kitchens – The future of food automation finally arrives 6. Breaking the chains – Localized production offers an alternative to shaky global supply chains 7. Closing the loop – Self-contained food systems are the future 8. From science fiction to science farming – Ag innovation sees exponential growth to meet environmental and market needs 9. Solidarity for sustainability – The future of eco-conscious agriculture is co-operative
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Company Spotlight – Radish Cooperative
This is one of a series of profiles of CFIN members that have successfully applied for and received funding through CFIN’s Innovation Booster program . Montreal, QC-based Radish Cooperative develops software to help restaurants meet their technical needs and make delivery more efficient. The company offers delivery service in Montreal, as well as products such as inventory management software to help restaurants reduce food waste and save money, and an eco-optimal dispatching and routing engine that helps reduce delivery fleet emissions. The company received $98,549 in funding to establish a lightweight digital twin platform for restaurant inventory management. We sat down with Radish’s executive director Mansib Rahman to talk about the company. Q: What is your company’s mission? A: Radish’s mission is to mutualize the technical needs of the restaurant industry. It is difficult for restaurants, workers, and consumers to effect change individually. A restaurant can’t afford their own data scientist, for example, and workers struggle to improve their working conditions without the collaboration of their peers. However, by pooling the resources, challenges, and innovations of the sector, the costs can be spread amongst the industry as a whole and the benefits can be reaped by everybody. Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it? A: The status quo for inventory management in small-and-medium restaurants is somewhere between paper and labels…and doing no tracking whatsoever. This is a major contributor to unprofitable unit costs. Ingredient prices can shift in the period of a week or two and catch an operator off-guard. Coming out of the pandemic and possibly into a recession, it’s clear that finding a way for restaurant operators to stay on top of their inventory will be paramount. The challenge with proper inventory tracking is that there are only so many hours in a day, and with a shrinking labour pool, owner-operators are finding it impossible to dedicate time to manage every single facet of their business. The current crop of SaaS-based inventory management software falls short of providing a true solution. Without detailed inputs, the systems simply don’t work. Our solution will be flexible and only require estimations, leveraging networked scales and sensors to track available stock and tie into aggregated sales data from our delivery network to give a more accurate view of inventory consumption trends and enhanced purchasing recommendations. Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry? A: The small-and-medium restaurant is the last frontier for technology adoption in the agri-food sector. Most people who go into the field do so out of passion or out of necessity. Rarely do they possess strong technical backgrounds. From experience, having owned and operated several restaurant businesses myself, most small restaurateur owners use little to no digital technology, save for delivery tablets and a basic POS. For those who do, there are simply too many disconnected software systems in an establishment, to the point of encumbering business operations more than helping. I’m excited to be part of the generation of restaurateurs that is going to bring this shift in ideology, making operations leaner through technology, and all the while making the industry more equitable and greener in the process. Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds. A: While venture capital and commercial lending are an important part of the startup funding landscape in Canada, they are not sufficient to help bridge the gap between R&D and commercialization. Other ecosystems have a significant lead on us – they are better capitalized and are also more risk tolerant. Public funding is absolutely critical for the vast wealth of Canadian R&D and intellectual property to be successfully commercialized on the world stage by Canadians instead of being expropriated by foreign acquirers. Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company? A: The sky’s the limit. The beauty of a cooperative is that our primary mission is to serve the needs of our members, rather than purely seeking profit. There are many other areas of the restaurant business that can benefit from technical innovations. Whatever they are, we’ll collaborate with the industry to deliver new software and services to the best interest of our members. We’ve also had several discussions with communities across the country that are interested in expanding the cooperative to their region. No decisions have been confirmed, but we’re carefully evaluating each opportunity. Q: What are your passions or hobbies outside of work? A: Perhaps unsurprisingly for someone having grown up in a restaurant, cooking and baking are big ones. I also enjoy running, especially during the winter (with the Yaktrax on ice, feels grippier than pavement even!). Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose? A) Guy Fieri B) Martha Stewart C) Gordon Ramsey D) Dana McCauley E) Your Mom F) Other (if it’s other, tell us who it is!) A: I would have liked to have chosen my mom, but she’s already done enough for me (I should probably make her something). Instead I’ll go with Jacques Pépin. Very few people have done so much to make cooking so accessible for everybody and done so with so much humility and elegance. It would truly be an honour to enjoy even the simplest meal from someone who has practically been a mentor. It doesn’t hurt that he was good enough to be Charles de Gaulle’s personal chef (and turn down JFK!). Ready to access funding for your innovative initiative? Click here to find out more about CFIN’s funding programs.
