Impact

CFIN Champions Food Innovation

We connect the Canadian food ecosystem to fresh insights, ideas, and technologies to elevate their business and increase their innovation capacity.

Community

14K+

Members & Social Followers

200+

Media Hits

5K+

Pieces of Original Content

200+

Events Attended

100+

Speaking Engagements

A rapidly growing food community

If you build it, they will come

“If you look at history, innovation doesn’t come just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.” -- Steven Johnson, Author 

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YODL helps Canadian Food Innovation Network members find suppliers, resources, content, funding, and partners

Awarded Funds

$17.7M

Total Funds Awarded

300+

Total Applications

65+

Projects Funded

91

New IP Creations

186+

Jobs & co-op placements Created

19+

funded companies with 250k+ in Revenue

150+

Organizations Involved

Impact Stories

Articles

Earthware

How the Alberta-based footech company is making a sustainable difference by reducing waste for generations to come.

Earthware is a foodtech company that's reducing food waste.

Innodal

How the Quebec City scaleup is increasing the shelf life of food with natural and clean label antimicrobials

Innodal is a foodtech company that's extending the shelf life of food.

Vivid Machines

How the Toronto startup is addressing labour challenges and strengthening supply chain from the farm gate to the consumer

Vivid Machines is a foodtech company that's alleviating supply chain challenges

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Videos

Cibotica

How the BC based company is tackling foodtech challenges, specifically addressing workplace efficiency and labour costs.

With support from CFIN, Cibotica further developed their innovative automation solution through Innovation Booster funding.

Food Cycle Science

How the Ontario based company is tackling foodtech challenges, specifically addressing food waste.

With support from CFIN, Food Cycle Science further developed their “FoodCycler” solution through Food Innovation Challenge (with a Plastics Reduction theme) funding.

Relocalize

How the Quebec based company is tackling foodtech challenges, specifically addressing waste and sustainability.

With support from CFIN, Cibotica further developed their innovative automation solution through Innovation Booster funding.

More Videos

Meet the RID’s

CFIN's five Regional Innovation Directors provide 1:1 support to members across the country. They facilitate connections, speak at marquee industry events, and help members access resources and support to grow their food businesses. Click on each RID image to learn more about who they are and how they're supporting our growing membership base.

Partnerships

CFIN establishes cross-sector collaborations with value-driven organizations to provide our members with increased access to funding, resources, and new partnership opportunities.

CIFST ALT

How CFIN partnered with the Canadian Institute of Food Science Technologists to host the first-ever in-person edition of CIFST ALT 2022

A partnership between CFIN and CIFST to host an in-person event showcasing alternative proteins

Mentor Works, a Ryan Company

Why CFIN and Mentor Works collaborated to launch the Funding Finder and help CFIN members access more 4,000+ active funding opportunities 

MentorWorks and CFIN partnered to launch the Funding Finder

Ontario Genomics

Behind the partnership that launched AcCELLerate-ON -- Canada’s first regional competition for cellular food

Ontario Genomics and CFIN partnered to launch a cellular food funding call

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Our Members

A Food Innovation Community

CFIN has over 4000+ members from every part of the country.

Explore

A map showing where Canadian Food Innovation Network members are located across Canada

What Our Members Think

Thanks to CFIN's support through FoodTech Next, App8 is revolutionizing diner interactions with robot and AI-enabled foodservice providers. CFIN's team and network have also introduced valuable potential partners who share our vision and goals, leading to new business and mutually beneficial engagements.

  • Elias Hage

  • App8 Solutions

  • Hage

Changing the world for good through business requires collaboration. CFIN’s YODL platform is an excellent way to connect people who are passionate about changing the world by leveraging the innovation potential in the food sector in Canada.

  • Mary Ellen Schaafsma

  • Purpose Pathways

  • Schaafsma

Sometimes we’re too focused on what’s going on in Quebec, so we’re using YODL to connect with the rest of Canada and find out what’s happening outside of our province.

  • Masib Rahman

  • Radish Cooperative

  • Masib Rahman

Connecting with members on YODL has provided Fanshawe College’s Centre for Research & Innovation (CRI) with valuable connections to small-medium sized food processing sector businesses looking for R&D support. It’s provided a great way to increase awareness of our food innovation laboratory facilities and expertise to industry partners who can benefit most from it.

  • Andrew Kaszowski

  • Fanshawe College

  • Andrew Kaszowski

YODL is a great support platform for continuous communication to drive innovation. Not only we can connect with new members, partners, organizations and companies but also we can reach the Canadian food innovation community to showcase our capabilities.

  • Mehmet Tulbek

  • Food Industry Development Centre (Saskatchewan)

  • Mehmet Tulbek

Everyone has a voice on YODL. There's great representation from across the country and the 24/7 nature of the platform means there's always new activity and discussions to check out

  • Heidi Loney

  • Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology

  • Heidi Loney

Connect with Us

Become a Member

Join our growing community of food professionals and get access to exclusive funding opportunities, five Regional Innovation Directors, and YODL

Connect with an RID

Find out how your Regional Innovation Director can help your business

Latest YODL Articles

Catch up on the latest news, interviews, infographics, and company profiles on YODL