Building international relationships to build Canadian lupin opportunities

Canada’s food and ingredient companies recognize the importance of building our country’s international reputation for being a leading partner in the supply of high-quality products. They see the economic opportunity it can bring to the country, and the potential it has for helping strengthen our own domestic food supply chain.

Those potential benefits are part of the reason why Alberta-based Lupin Platform Inc. recently hosted a delegation of companies from the United Kingdom. Bringing in their Protein Industries Canada and Innovate UK project partners—BioPower Technologies Ltd., UK Agri-Tech Centre Ltd., Soya UK Ltd. and The University of Leeds—Lupin Platform showcased lupin-related work in Canada, displaying the country’s potential for foods and ingredients.

“The visit [helped] to strengthen this international relationship, determine areas of common interest in promoting lupin, and knowledge sharing of the Best Management Practice in cultivation, food processing for ingredients, and innovative food utilizations in the North America and UK markets,” Lupin Platform CEO Tristan Choi said. “This will help Lupin Platform to export its ingredients to the UK and European markets, thus ensuring long-term sustainability of the company. Also, bringing in knowledge and expertise from the UK and funnel to Canadian growers and processors to increase efficiency and productivity.”

Choi said he sees the November 2025 delegation bringing wider benefit to Canada, not just benefit to his company. He explained that both the Canadian and UK food sectors are looking to increase the use of lupin in CPG products, so their project with the UK partners, and the delegation visit, were an opportunity to develop, test and show off the potential of Canadian lupin ingredients. Choi and his team have worked on a lupin-based ice cream alternative, for example, as well as ingredients for pasta and bakery products.

He expects this list of applications to grow as his company continues to work with new partners, both in Canada and beyond its borders.

“The demand for plant-based foods continue to increase, which creates the need to increase manufacturing ingredients to meet the demand,” he said. “Hosting delegations like this could lead to partnerships for building capacity in ingredient manufacturing and food processing sector, thus leading to export opportunities for Canadian companies.”