This is one in a series of profiles of CFIN members that have successfully applied for and received funding through CFIN's Innovation Booster program.
Toronto, ON-based Forward Water Technologies can extract pure water from liquid streams with no energy input and without consuming any chemicals. The company can concentrate liquids to intensify flavours and aromas without damaging the tastes and fragrances using minimal energy, which also minimizes CO2 emissions. Forward Water Technologies received $97,773 in funding to complete its forward osmosis foodstuff concentration system polymer study and production project.
CFIN sat down with Forward Water Technologies’ president and CEO Howie Honeyman to talk about the company.
Q: What is your company’s mission?
A: Forward Water is working to eliminate wastewater and make water a circular part of manufacturing infrastructure, meaning it gets used indefinitely and never needs to be discarded.
Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it?
A: Concentrates are critical parts of the food industry, so making them better at lower costs without producing CO2 is a huge advancement. This funding will allow us to accelerate by aiding the scaling up of an enabling and proprietary material needed for our process.
Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry?
A: Making current food products better and creating new ones, while reducing CO2 emissions and at the same time lowering costs, is a win for everyone. So what motivates us is making products that can impact everyone in a positive way.
Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds.
A: Public funding has been critical to supporting innovation especially in cleantech. Forward Water has been fortunate enough to greatly benefit from this type of funding and without it never would have been able to achieve lift off. The CFIN Booster funding is enabling for us.
Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company?
A: Specifically for this project the horizon goal is on building partnerships within the food and beverage industry to deliver a wealth of improved and new concentrates.
Q: What are your passions or hobbies outside of work?
A: Outdoors when we can. We all enjoy hiking, camping and canoeing – which touches on how much we see water as an important resource!
Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose?
A: Guy Fieri. We’re street food kind of people and he’s closer to that than the rest.
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