BC Business
Industry partners will match the funds for a total of around $1 million in capital.
The Canadian food industry is pro-innovation. But even though it’s known to explore new opportunities with technology, processing and manufacturing and sustainable agriculture, food security remains a major problem across the country.
To that end, national member-based organization Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) has been investing in projects since 2021 to stir innovation in the food sector. Most recently, it announced a total of $516,959 to go toward six Canadian foodtech companies through its Innovation Booster Program, two of which have a strong foothold in B.C.
Vancouver-based Cibotica Inc. is applying robotic solutions to the food assembly process. The software company is looking to make its high-tech dispensing mechanism for salad and bowl makelines food-safe, and CFIN answered its funding call. Of the Booster program’s investment, $90,741 is dedicated to helping this project scale.
Freshline, which used to be HQ’d in Vancouver when it first launched 2016 and then moved to Toronto in 2022, is receiving $83,908 to improve its B2B e-commerce platform. The platform helps commercial food distributors and retailers digitize and grow sales.
According to CFIN, its industry partners will match the total $516,959 investment to create projects valued at around $1 million. “These six projects showcase how diverse, innovative, and ambitious Canadian foodtech companies are,” said CFIN CEO Dana McCauley in a release. “These startups are developing novel processes, creating first-to-market technologies, and tackling some of the biggest challenges facing our food sector. Food innovation is thriving across the country and we’re extremely excited about the global potential of these projects.”