We asked our five Regional Innovation Directors (RIDs) to reflect on highlights from their regions in 2022. Here’s what they told us.
@Lavina Gully, BC and Yukon
Q: What were the top highlights from your region this year?
Seafood Innovation Center Urchin Tank Event and getting back to seeing people in real life.
Q: What have you enjoyed the most about working with CFIN in the past year?
Meeting food tech startups and seeing all the cool hardware being built, I love machinery and equipment!
Q: Give a shoutout to a member in your region and tell us why we should know about them.
Hard to pick just one, but I’d like to give a shoutout to the Northern Analytical Lab Service (NALS) at the University of Northern BC. NALS is an Environmental and Climate Solutions Innovation Hub, and supports the development of new, sustainable packaging for the food industry through accredited testing for compostable and biodegradable materials. Their passionate and knowledgeable team serves Northern BC but their services are available to anyone in Canada.
@Hubba Khatoon, Prairies
Q: What were the top highlights from your region this year?
Recognizing the interconnectivity in Canada’s food innovation ecosystem, introducing the significant role of CFIN to the Prairies, and developing Regional Industry Networks and collaborations for collective food industry growth.
Q: What have you enjoyed the most about working with CFIN in the past year?
Collaboration. I thoroughly enjoyed working with other fellow food enthusiasts in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to advance food tech innovations. It’s quite rewarding to provide food companies with local support – understanding their individual growth gaps and connecting them to national solutions that best fit their needs.
Q: Give a shoutout to a member in your region and tell us why we should know about them.
I want to give a shout out to @Chris Bunio, co-founder at TheoryMesh. His team is building a digital platform to track data and provide traceability in the food supply chain. That’s pretty cool on its own. What’s even cooler is that he ensures that through YODL, he is well connected to producers, food processors, and consumers who can utilize this technology for traceability and sustainability.
@Linda Fox, Ontario
Q: What were the top highlights from your region this year?
Aside from getting a high-level education every day, it’s tough to pick. It has been very exciting to spend time at several of Ontario’s post-secondary institutions to see how they are approaching innovation in education. There are some truly extraordinary people and programs out there who will propel Canada forward. Spending time with and at some of CFIN’s members’ companies is another highlight. These are some of the hardest working – and busiest – people around and they are so generous with their time and their knowledge (see “every day high-level education” above). One of our biggest awards was given to Gastronomous, an Ontario member! Also, I’ve been at several events and conferences and haven’t spilt any food or beverage on anyone (did I just jinx myself?)!
Q: What have you enjoyed the most about working with CFIN in the past year?
I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner, and I hope that expression hasn’t become trite…but there is nothing like a new job to remind you of what you don’t know, and I feel like I’m getting a handle on a different part of the food business than I was previously familiar with. The number of possible programs that are out there, be they government funded/funding, mentorships, academia, or associations can be overwhelming. Putting that together with my past food and branding experience has been very satisfying when I’ve been able to help make those connections for our membership.
Q: Give a shoutout to a member in your region and tell us why we should know about them.
I’ve met so many incredible people. The above mentioned Gastronomous, Vivid Machines, Food Cycle Sciences, Index Biosystems, Evolved, each of these members have amazing projects in food and beverage, each from a different part of the industry, but I find it’s their collaborative nature that truly sets them apart. Then there are the other types of members (academia, other funders, suppliers to the industry, and so on) – Niagara College, Fanshawe, George Brown, Giraffe, VentureLAB, VenturePark Labs, AGS, Bioenterprise, and GFIC. I’ve missed so many, but I hope they all know how important they’ve been to my first year with CFIN.
@Julie Daigle, Quebec
Q: What were the top highlights from your region this year?
Besides shows we attempted, events we hosted, and exposure we gained throughout this year, many good things happened in Quebec in 2022. One that keeps fascinating me is seeing the reaction from new people I meet when they learn about CFIN’s mission and YODL. It is so refreshing and rewarding to support companies from Quebec to innovate and collaborate.
Q: What have you enjoyed the most about working with CFIN in the past year?
My teammates, the drive, and the pace that we have as a team towards reaching our common goals. We are building this incredible network that brings together food innovators across the country like never before. It is truly incredible to be part of.
Q: Give a shoutout to a member in your region and tell us why we should know about them.
This is a difficult question to answer with only one shoutout! I’ll give one shoutout to Lysanne Gingras, co-owner of Chickumi in Quebec City. Besides launching the world’s first yellow beet crusted hummus sticks this year, the products also won the 2021 Food Innovation Award from the Conseil de la transformation alimentation du Québec (CTAQ) in the “new or improved products” category. Lysanne is eager to implement automatization and AI in their manufacturing processes. I’ll give another shoutout to Graham Campbell from Relocalize, a Montreal-based company which won a top project award at the Clean50 awards for environmental innovation and accomplishments including making the world’s first autonomous micro-factory for food and beverage a reality.
@Tyson MacInnis, Atlantic
Q: What were the top highlights from your region this year?
I was initially drawn towards joining CFIN based on its mission and its people. Looking at the past year, these themes continue to hold true. Highlights for me over the past year include: getting to work, learn, and share some laughs with the amazing team at CFIN; growing our membership to over 200 members in Atlantic Canada; and expanding my network to include a wider range of innovative food tech entrepreneurs and support agencies in our region and across the country. When you consider major challenges such as climate change, health and wellness, and workforce demographics it’s never been more important for our food and beverage sector to embrace new technologies that help address these issues and maintain competitiveness.
Q: What have you enjoyed the most about working with CFIN in the past year?
It’s hard to believe that we’re at the end of 2022. I started with CFIN in late March a couple days after testing positive for COVID. Not exactly the way anyone wants to start a new position, but it was a temporary set back and it’s been onward and upward since – except for losing power for two weeks during Hurricane Fiona, but that’s another story!
Q: Give a shoutout to a member in your region and tell us why we should know about them.
We have so many innovative companies in Atlantic Canada achieving local, national, and international success. A few companies that come to mind include technology focused innovators such as Smartskin, SmallFood, Area 52, and Milk Moovement; upcycling innovators such as North Taste Flavourings, 3F Waste Recovery, and Outcast Foods; and branded product innovators such as Millenia Tea, Made with Local, Upstreet, Sum Good Foods, and Honibe.
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