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Developing new plant-protein products from Western Canadian crops

Technology
TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY

Make

PROJECT TIMELINE
September 2020 to March 2023
PROJECT STATUS
Fund I: Complete
TOTAL INVESTMENT
$7,216,186

Consortia Contribution
$3,522,203

Cluster Contribution
$3,693,983

PARTNERS

Mera Development Corp.

Mera Food Group

Benson Farms

Sonic Milling Systems

Pacific Ridge Trading Corp.

Goal

Develop beverages and other products for Canadian and Asian consumer markets using Canadian-grown crops.

Project Summary

The project partners propose to develop beverages and other products for Canadian and Asian consumer markets using Canadian-grown crops. Proprietary cavitation technology will be used to create products using various blends of Canadian-grown fava beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, flax, hemp and oats. The project will support formulation at laboratory scale and subsequent manufacturing trials at pilot scale. The planned pilot facility will also house an aseptic packaging line to package product for distribution domestically and abroad. Through this project, its partners aim to demonstrate sufficient market demand for Canadian-made protein-rich beverages, purees and bars to validate construction of a commercial-scale cavitation processing and packaging facility in Saskatchewan that is made available to other businesses in an effort to strengthen the plant-based protein ecosystem as a whole.

Results and Impact

  • Developed, processed and packaged a new suite of products locally in the Prairies. These products include an oat concentrate, oat creamer and oat milk, and resulted in a purchase order from one of Western Canada's largest food distributors.
  • Reduced energy consumption of infrastructure and process by 30% when compared to conventional milling, by using Sonic Milling technology.
  • Created sales for value-added products from locally grown grains and pulses that will support local jobs and economic growth.
  • Improved supply chain through the addition of an aseptic co-packing line, which increases product shelf, facilitates a more efficient delivery system and results in reduced transportation fuel consumption.
  • Improved availability of ingredients by adding Pacific Ridge Trading Corp. as a consortium member, resulting in direct access to farmers located within the geographic region of the processing facility.

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