How CFIN and GAAP Can Benefit Your Start-up

The Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) is a national, member-based organization that stimulates innovation across the Canadian food sector. They connect the Canadian food ecosystem to fresh insights, ideas, and technologies to elevate businesses and increase their innovation capacity. CFIN has three key strategic pillars -- Smart Product & Process Development; Food Ecosystem Sustainability; and Agile & Safe Supply Chains. If you’re developing a food innovation around any of these three pillars – let them know,?they would love to fund you!

At GAAP we feel that we are uniquely positioned to further leverage CFIN's objectives with our own investment and infrastructure offerings. GAAP offers portfolio companies capital preservation, multi-annual incubation along with sector specific expertise. GAAP's 14,000sq ft facilities include fully equipped labs, greenhouses, and office space to support portfolio companies' development. In addition to infrastructure, GAAP connects portfolio companies with the food industry ecosystem. We work closely with partners like CFIN, we offer an in-house mentorship program for our portfolio companies, and we establish network connections across the globe. Our partnerships with food innovation facilities around Saskatoon, such as the Global Institute for Food Security and the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc. , allows portfolio companies access to expertise and research capabilities to scale their business.These partnerships are crucial to the growth and development of the companies participating in the GAAP incubator.

Our Program and Partnerships Manager, Susan Jorgensen , had the opportunity to speak on a panel at the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) ALT “An Innovation Showcase”?powered by CFIN in September 2022. Susan discussed the opportunities, barriers, and challenges in applying precision fermentation and cellular agriculture duplication to produce traditionally imported ingredients.?

Susan Jorgensen “CIFST ALT was a great opportunity to meet innovators in the food ingredient space, and to learn about the products, technologies, and big ideas that are changing the game in the food industry. The day featured several short sessions focused on a wide range of topics including AI modelling for consumer preferences, big actions in plastic reduction, and novel applications for microbial safety. It was eye-opening to learn about the creative approaches companies are taking to offer inventive alternatives to the Canadian market.?It was my privilege to join Ryan Philippe of Genome Canada and Evan Fraser of the Ariel Food Institute ( University of Guelph ) on the closing keynote panel. Dana McCauley moderated a thoughtful conversation about the tremendous opportunities precision fermentation and cellular agriculture can offer to support a sustainable food system, especially in the context of import replacements. With the advancement in synthetic bio and fermentation capabilities, the sky is the limit for the future of locally produced products!”

CFIN brings together thought leaders within the food tech sector through many of their events and membership. Coming up they have?Food Sustainability and Novel Food Production: Safety Considerations and many more. CFIN has the unique opportunity to bring together all the Canadian food companies, showcasing the latest in food tech, grants and networking.

CFIN and Ontario Genomics have awarded $900K through their AcCELLerate-ON competition. The competition is Canada's first regional cellular agriculture competition, supporting research cand development of novel and innovative viable food production methods. (To read more about the recipients click here?https://cfin-rcia.ca/media/news-releases/investing-in-the-future-of-food)?

With the population growing there is an expected 76% increase in food requirements by 2050. Through the competition and funding of these innovative food production methods we may meet this demand. This model set on a national stage, where companies from around the world share their novel and innovative food technologies would prove to be a catalyst to the precision fermentation sector.

An interesting company that CFIN has worked with is? Ardra Inc ’s. Their technology that is based on the emerging field of synthetic biology. "We design and recreate biochemical pathways used to make ingredients into benign industrial microorganisms, and cultivate these microorganisms in controlled fermenters to produce ingredients from sugar. Through the use of fermentation of natural sugars Ardra are able to offer a significant cost and sustainability advantage along with a stable supply that is devoid of seasonal variations”?https://www.ardrabio.com/technology/

“It's?a great time?to be a Canadian agri-food company. We are living through the golden age of food innovation, and organizations like CFIN and GAAP?are?creating?capacity?in Canada and helping bring?new ideas, processes, and innovations to market.?For?homegrown and global companies who need?access to capital, production opportunities, business connections, or?cutting-edge?equipment,?we strongly encourage you to tap?into?the resources offered by CFIN, GAAP, and our extensive network of partners?to?start and scale?your food business.” --? Dana McCauley , CEO CFIN

CFIN is a complimentary service to GAAP. We saw that there was natural fit for a partnership with CFIN, as they have sector expertise and insight in the food tech side. Working with GAAP and CFIN can offer the highest value to our portfolio companies as they expand into the Canadian landscape through GAAP. Together our projects will offer an enviable proposition to participating companies.

If you are interested in learning more about precision fermentation, read below.

https://www.cfin-rcia.ca/blogs/yodl-master-cfin/2023/04/09/in-30-precision-fermentation

We are excited to collaborate with CFIN, watch this space for updates!?