A Purposeful Approach to Innovation

The Global Foodtech Navigator Program is a new initiative that CFIN proposes to help scale Canadian foodtech solutions. After working with hundreds foodtech businesses, we have identified that although Canada has a plethora of good export readiness programs, addressing this subsector’s unique needs could propel success in new markets. 

CFIN’s Global Foodtech Navigator program will offer fast-track support for Canadian science and technology driven companies ready to scale and expand internationally. By clustering participants around CFIN’s innovation pillars (waste reduction and circularity, automation and AI, and next-gen food ingredients), the program is designed to help firms identify priority export markets, conduct in-market customer discovery, and build tailored go-to-market strategies. CFIN will facilitate matchmaking with potential partners (e.g. distributors, brokers, agents) and provide follow-on support to help companies convert opportunities discovered on trade missions into economic results.

This new CFIN support program will support 20 companies annually in three to four cohorts, enhancing services by connecting firms to existing trade missions and programs led by partners like Global Affairs Canada and Export Development Canada. Our goal is to complement what’s already offered, ensuring companies are better prepared, more focused, and well-positioned to grow globally, faster and more profitably.

This unique program will complement the services CFIN has been providing since 2021 that help Canadian foodtech and food companies to break down regional barriers to grow their businesses and find R&D partners here at home.

Previous iterations of CFIN programs focused largely on foodtech innovators and supporting the development of new Canadian solutions. Over the last four years, we’ve learned that SMEs, who dominate CFIN's membership and the Canadian food sector, do not have the financial or human resource capacity to adopt emerging technologies that will help them to optimize operations. Operating on tight margins, their problems are compounded because they typically buy solutions from the US or global markets, resulting in high costs for adoption.

To help small food and beverage businesses (those with under 100 employees) modernize production and overcome capacity challenges, this new CFIN program offers funding support for both assessments and technology adoption. It focuses on solving real-world operational issues like energy use, automation optimization, and supply chain digitization with software, hardware, or equipment innovation.

CFIN’s program proposal is to offer businesses up to $10,000 to cover 50% of the cost of technology audits that identify the right solutions for their needs. From there, they apply for access up to $50,000 in matching funds to adopt proven, Canadian-developed technologies (TRL 7+) that will make their operations more productive and competitive. The program aims to encourage SMEs to make innovation part of their growth strategies. The buy Canadian focus will encourage food businsses to bring homegrown innovation into their operations, making Canadian food and beverage processers as well as Canadian foodtech companies more efficient, resilient, and competitive. 

We’re looking for partners who can help us with audits, assessments, and recruiting applicants. If your organization wants to be involved, let us know by tapping on the partnership button below and sending us an email.

Focused on major sector challenges and collaborations that bring together foodtech innovators and Canadian food sector businesses in manufacturing, distribution, foodservice and grocery retail, the Food Innovation Challenge program has been a proven catalyst for driving new foodtech development. Over the past 4 years, CFIN has allocated $11M to 8 projects comprising 21 businesses, ranging from foodtech start-ups to some of Canada’s largest employers. United by a common interest in solving food sector challenges, these projects have directly contributed to the employment of over 70 highly qualified people and 26 co-ops. Since March 2024, the foodtech firms involved in these projects have gone on to raise more than $40M in follow-on investments, filed patents for new intellectual property, and grown their revenues by almost $15M. These projects are critical to maintaining Canada’s skills capacity and industrial leadership in the face of global pressures.

Moving forward, the Food Innovation Challenge will continue to bring key industry players to the table to launch open innovation calls for new solutions to key sector challenges around productivity, waste, and supply chain challenges. CFIN will convene business leaders from SMEs and anchor firms to define key opportunities for innovation, and issue a Challenge call to the Canadian foodtech community to respond to. Each challenge call is designed to de-risk large-scale innovation by providing a consortia of problem owners and solution providers with funding and support to accelerate the adoption of new Canadian technology. If you’d like to be involved, please let us know!

One of CFIN’s most popular programs, the Innovation Booster has supported over 65 projects across Canada since 2022 with rapid support for key barriers to growth and competitiveness.  The funds deployed to industry since 2022 have supported 94 full-time roles and 36 co-op positions. Post project, participating firms have generated over $4M in new revenues as they commercialized new foodtech solutions and raised an additional $12M in investments. 

As part of Food Action Plan 4.0, the Booster program will continue to support SMEs as they undertake the development and demonstration of new science, knowledge, or processes that make them more competitive. CFIN will develop new partnerships with national and regional organizations to support targeted calls focused on emerging challenges and opportunities within the Canadian food sector. If you’d like to partner with CFIN on Innovation Booster calls, please let us know.