Projects

Led by the Social Entrepreneurship Enclave (SEE), Spring Activator and Whisk Labs, and with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, the creation of a new ecosystem map will not only allow other companies to better understand their competitors and possible business partners, but also allow investors to better understand the companies they may wish to connect with.

Myera Inc. and the Southeast Resource Development Centre (SRDC) have partnered to strengthen Canada’s wild rice supply chain in order to better incorporate it into the overall plant-based food and ingredients sector.

With AGT’s partners Federated Cooperatives Limited (FCL) and ulivit, the project investigates novel methods for protein separation to create a protein concentrate (greater than 60% protein) from canola meal. Building on AGT Foods’ expertise in dry fractionation, this project aims to manufacture canola protein concentrates economically at a large scale, while also being produced with a much lower carbon footprint than existing protein isolation processes.

Canada’s plant-based value chain is vast, extending beyond the farm-to-fork linkages to land in places one doesn’t immediately think of—including our dogs’ beloved food bowls. Since 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been investigating the role of pulse-based ingredients and grain-free diets in dogs, particularly related to their heart health.

Konscious Foods incorporates Canadian-grown and -processed ingredients, including Merit’s pea and canola proteins and Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds’ seaweed ingredients, to develop more than 20 plant-based seafood alternative products, which will be available in grocery store freezer aisles. While focusing on keeping the products sustainable and clean-label, the partners have also matched the taste and texture of the products’ seafood counterparts.

Humble and Frank Foods Ltd., InnovoPro and The Star Group are researching and testing chickpea ingredients and proteins in a variety of consumer-ready plant-based food products, leading to new high-quality chickpea-based food products for Canadians.

As part of a co-investment with Protein Industries Canada, New Protein International, Huron Commodities and Hensall Co-operative’s Animal Nutrition division are building a demonstration-scale processing facility in which they will test, refine and optimize a proprietary hexane-free processing method using Canadian soybeans.

Plant Veda Foods Ltd., Avena Foods Ltd., HPP Canada and Thirstea Beverages Ltd., with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, will develop and commercialize cost-effective oat concentrates. These new oat concentrates will then be used to make new plant-based food and beverage products.

David J. Hendrick International (DJHII), ProSoya and the Eastern Canada Oilseed Development Alliance (ECODA), with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, are partnering to assess the feasibility of a commercial soy flour processing plant in Eastern Canada. Should they find a location that would prove feasible and cost-effective, the partners will collaborate with an international partner to build the facility, eventually offering a soymilk powdered beverage to consumers in North America and Japan.

To help ensure the sector has access to skilled talent to help fill these job vacancies, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) and Whitecap Dakota First Nation, with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, are coming together to create a new micro-credential for Indigenous youth in Western Canada. This micro-credential will be developed in partnership with industry stakeholders across the country, helping narrow its focus onto skills most needed by employers in the sector.

To help ensure the sector has access to skilled talent to help fill these job vacancies, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) and Whitecap Dakota First Nation, with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada, are coming together to create a new micro-credential for Indigenous youth in Western Canada. This micro-credential will be developed in partnership with industry stakeholders across the country, helping narrow its focus onto skills most needed by employers in the sector.

Assiniboine Community College and Roquette are collaborating to develop and deliver Chemical Engineering Technology Diploma and Food Science Diploma programs to domestic and international prospective students in Canada. These are the first programs of their kind in Manitoba, with the Food Science Diploma being the first in the Prairies. The goal of these new programs is to ensure an adequate workforce for the evolving plant-protein processing and food and beverage manufacturing sectors.