Success stories
The Alberta Food Centre plays an important role driving economic growth and diversification in the agri-food industry. We have been empowering entrepreneurs and well-known food processing companies to bring ideas to market since 1984.
Companies of all sizes work with us at any stage to grow their business. We provide a range of services and leasable space to enable them to commercialize food, beverage and ingredient products for new markets.
Since opening, the food centre has supported more than 3,000 industry projects, including research partnerships with food companies, commodity associations and post-secondaries.
These recent success stories describe how we collaborate on research and help processors take the next steps in their business venture:
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Alberta Pulse Growers
Tackling the world of pulses, one dry seed at a time
What's so great about pulses? They’re nutrient dense foods that are high in protein, fibre and iron. When consumers need protein alternatives, pulses are a great option. They’re dry edible seeds like field peas, dry beans, lentils, chickpeas and faba beans. These pulses are part of the legume family along with soybeans.
The good news? The province has a thriving pulse industry. About 5,400 farmers across the province grow legumes and belong to Alberta Pulse Growers Commission (APG) – a non-profit that provides marketing, educational, advocacy and research support.
When it comes to research and development, APG funds 3 main areas: genetics, yield and sustainability. It also focuses on developing versatile ingredients using value-add processing. This work happens through partnerships with the Alberta Food Centre in Leduc and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s research facilities in Lacombe and Lethbridge. APG also collaborates with research centres in other provinces like the Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon.
The food centre has the expertise and capability to collaborate on industry-led research projects. There are scientists and technologists on site to determine how to scale up products and develop processes for industry.
“Choosing to work with the food centre was an easy choice. We have collaborated on many projects that benefit growers by exploring new consumer opportunities for pulses,” says Shane Strydhorst, chair of APG. “Partnerships enable our research dollars to go further while we work towards our vision to have pulses on every farm and on every plate.”
With funding provided by APG, 2 crop scientists at the food centre, Dr. Jay Han and Dr. Jingqi Yang, conducted research projects on the sustainability of spent pulse meal as a versatile food ingredient. “Our research reinforces my belief that plant-based foods are a valuable economic opportunity for Alberta and Canada,” says Yang. “Adding value to spent pulse meal by processing it into other food products will help address nutritional challenges and food security around the globe.”
“The knowledge we gained working on this project will help Alberta’s plant protein industry reduce waste, diversify revenue streams, and increase job opportunities,” says Yang. “Together, these factors will help boost the industry’s competitiveness and increase profitability.”
When Han completed a sprouted faba bean project in 2021 with funding from APG, he found the pulse could sprout in half the time as barley. “My findings were surprising,” says Han. “It’s clear we need to do more research to properly understand how different processes can affect plant growth and the nutrient content of specific legumes.”
While APG is funding research within Canada, there are other studies being conducted across North America. Scientists are looking at ways to increase pulse crop yields, develop pest and disease resistance, and make climate adaptations. There are also projects focused on processing efficiencies and culinary innovations. The goal of all this research is making pulses a staple food in the North American diet.
“In a world where there is a growing demand for food, research partnerships are essential,” says Yang. “Working on pulse research with APG’s support has been incredibly rewarding. It's enabling us to explore new frontiers and make a difference in Alberta and Canada’s pulse industry.”
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Aliya’s Foods
Food centre helps make dreams come true
In the late ‘90s, Anis Jiwani and her husband Noorudin were settled into their respective careers in Toronto yet starting to feel the twinge of the dreaded mid-life crisis. Anis had been working with food companies as a registered dietician, while Noorudin was a financial consultant. But Anis dreamed of bringing her own great tasting Indian food to everyone’s kitchens. She envisioned having a brand and products with household recognition, just like the Heinz brand and ketchup.
The couple realized there was no time like the present to make this dream come true. They decided to build on Anis’ knowledge and expertise to start a business making samosas. The next step was determining whether to locate it in Ontario, Alberta or B.C. When Noorudin inquired about food business development opportunities in each province, the Alberta government was the only one to respond.
So the Jiwanis moved west and began working with the Alberta Food Centre to adapt their family recipes for large-scale production. “The food scientists at the food centre were instrumental in getting our recipes from our kitchen to the market,” says Noorudin. “They also helped with packaging design and nutritional analysis.”
The food centre also connected the Jiwanis with business development coaches who helped the couple grow Aliya’s Foods from a start-up to an international company. “The food centre staff are all very knowledgeable and made sure we were on the right path when we set up Aliya’s Foods and our Chef Bombay Brand in 1999,” says Noorudin. “With their help, we were able to start producing at our own small plant in Sherwood Park in 2000, while we continued developing recipes and interim processing at the food centre. Then in 2007, we moved some production into our own suite in the Business Incubator on the other side of the building.”
Aliya’s Foods was the first company to lease a processing suite in the incubator space. Both start-ups and established food companies can lease. Becoming a tenant allows them to postpone large capital investments in equipment and real estate. They can increase production and expand into new markets, while preparing to graduate to their own facility or work with a co-packer. As tenants, companies also have access to business development professionals and the can also work with the food centre on a fee-for-service basis.
Aliya’s Foods graduated from the Alberta Food Centre in 2010, when it opened its own 100,000 square foot state-of-the-art automated manufacturing facility in Edmonton. The company further expanded into the United States with an 80,000 square foot facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Nowadays, Aliya’s product lines go beyond samosas. The company specializes in a variety of frozen ready-to-heat Indian appetizers and entrees with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. All products are made using only high quality, natural ingredients and Aliya’s unique spice blends. None have preservatives, artificial flavours or colours.
Several stores across North America carry Aliya’s homestyle frozen appetizers such as vegetable and chicken tikka samosas, butter chicken and chole naanpanadas, and vegetable pakoras. Many retailers also stock the frozen meals like butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, beef vindaloo, chicken biryani, masoor biryani and palak paneer.
Building a food processing business takes time, specialized expertise and large capital investments in equipment and real estate. “My advice to any food company is to consider the food centre as the place to start,” says Noorudin. “You’ll have access to expert advice and processing equipment until you are ready to go out on your own.” He adds, “The food centre brought substantial value as we built our business. We still reach out to them for advice from time to time.”
What started as a subtle mid-life crisis and ambitious dream has evolved into an international food business where quality meets convenience.
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Ariya Meals
From Myanmar to Canada, a culinary adventure to dazzle the Canadian palate
Growing up in Myanmar, Zinmar was exposed to Burmese cuisine; a blend of savoury and flavourful food which is a rich fusion of Indian and Chinese cuisines. After moving to Canada in 2003, she realized that there was a lack of Burmese food offerings in the Canadian food market and wanted to share her culture with her new Canadian community.
That’s how the idea for Ariya Meals was born. In 2019, Zinmar took the plunge and created Ariya Meals to offer appetizers, meal kits and condiments that are similar to what she grew up eating. The company’s mission is to produce tasty and healthy Burmese-inspired foods and to integrate them into the Canadian international foods sector.
Ariya Meals started off at the Calgary Crossroads Farmers’ Market to gauge customer reaction to the company’s products. Zinmar found the range of mild to spicy appealed to Calgarians, pushing her to move ahead with the plan of selling pre-packaged Burmese-inspired foods. She just needed to find support to start large-scale production and that’s when she came across the Alberta Food Centre. The food centre assisted her in scaling the production from a commercial kitchen into the food centre’s fully equipped, federally inspected facility.
“We cannot jump to the next step of growing our business without the help and support of this centre,” says Zinmar. Her experience working at the food centre allowed Ariya Meals to learn about production management and the various aspects of food safety.
“Food safety is one of the main issues with production, and the food centre provides us with the guarantee that every product that leaves this facility is made with the highest food safety standards. This also offers a level of security and trust with retailers when they find out our products are produced at the centre,” says Zinmar.
Another major help has been the food centre’s business development team that helped her build connections and network within the food sector. Zinmar kept up to date on learning and funding opportunities and other supports like retail missions which have helped expose her products to large retail chain representatives. These opportunities facilitated by the business development team have helped Zinmar expand her business over the last few years. She emphasized the value of the retail missions; to her, that is the best way to help a small growing business.
“When we were starting off, we did not know who to contact, how to reach out to retailers, and we did find that it was harder to get responses from retailers when they do not know who you are,” says Zinmar.
Once the business development team facilitated the introductions, Ariya Meals was able to build lasting relationships with retail stores for their products. Ariya Meals now supply m ore than 50 grocery stores including Calgary Co-op, Safeway and Sobeys.
Zinmar is currently working on expanding sales internationally to the United States, with the hopes of having her own facility one day. With such a unique product, she is grateful for the knowledge and support she has received from the food centre to help with production, and she feels very lucky that the food centre exists in Alberta to help her achieve her food business goals.
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Red House Salsa
Alberta salsa company red hot with help from food centre
Red House Salsa is a thriving small business that’s turning up the heat in the condiment category. Located in St. Albert, the company and was founded in 2016 by Mary Burch, a passionate food enthusiast and entrepreneur. It all began with Burch gifting jars of homemade salsa to family, friends and teachers then discovering success at a farmers’ market.
As the popularity of her salsas grew, so did the orders. After outgrowing her home kitchen, Burch ramped up production by renting a commercial kitchen in a church. But she quickly realized she needed to scale up to satisfy demand. That’s when she heard about the Alberta Food Centre in Leduc.
The food centre works with start-ups and established food companies on a fee-for-service basis to help them develop recipes, scale up production and introduce products to new markets. As clients, companies like Red House Salsa receive product development support from food scientists and technologists in a laboratory or test kitchen – also known as benchtop development. Then technicians teach clients how to use the equipment in the pilot plant to process products for sale to consumers.
Since the facility is licensed and inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, clients can process safe, consistent and fully traceable products for sale in Canada and internationally. For Burch, this was a big change as it meant more paperwork and protocols. “Moving from a commercial kitchen with a provincial licence to a federally licensed facility can be overwhelming,” says Burch. “My food centre support team made the transition easier. I’ve learned so much from them and other clients at the facility.”
Since working with the food centre, Burch has gone from hand ladling salsa into 800 jars a day to producing about 8,000 jars in 3 days. “It would be nearly impossible to produce enough salsa to meet our current orders if I was still working out of a community kitchen with only friends and family to help,” says Burch. “I’m grateful for the expert advice I receive from food scientists and technicians at the food centre. With their help, I’ve learned how to scale up my recipes and use the facility for interim processing 4 or 5 times a year.”
Burch adds, “Interim processing allows small food companies to grow without the burden of large capital expenditures for equipment and facilities.” While working with the food centre, clients can prepare to transition to Alberta’s Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator, their own facility, or a partnership with a co-packer. Clients also receive coaching and help identifying programs, services and resources to build their business.
With assistance from the food centre, Red House Salsa now offers a diverse product line through more than 80 retailers across Alberta and British Columbia. “We have salsas that cater to every taste, whether you prefer mild, garlicy or a spicy kick,” says Burch. “Each one is crafted with precision using fresh, locally sourced ingredients to achieve the perfect balance of heat and flavour.” By supporting local farmers and businesses and producing high quality sustainable products, Red House Salsa has earned a loyal customer base.
The food centre has helped small food companies like Red House Salsa bring ideas to market for 40 years. “I highly recommend working with the food centre,” says Burch. “It’s given me the business knowledge, food processing experience and confidence to turn up the heat and take Red House Salsa to the next level.”
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Seven Spice Ltd.
Food centre gives Seven Spice peace of mind
What started off as a home-made gift for friends and family quickly turned into a viable business for Calgary-based mother-daughter duo Anna and Natalia Lazic. The pair created a chili oil using sunflower oil as a base and infusing it with garlic, pepper flakes, coconut and other aromatic spices. The spicy condiment received rave reviews, which motivated them to seek assistance from the Alberta Food Centre 7 years ago to help establish Seven Spice Ltd. The company name was born from Anna and her husbands’ Yugoslavian heritage and love of experimenting with flavours in their kitchen.
As a registered dietitian, daughter Natalia’s main goal was to offer a high-quality chili oil – something she could not easily find in the Canadian marketplace. The food centre helped Seven Spice refine the original chili oil formulation on the benchtop. Then they assisted in scaling up production to create inventory for sale at farmers’ markets in mid-2017.
During their time working with the food centre, the Lazics have developed mild, hot and extra hot chili oils made with local ingredients. The products only have 30 mg of salt per teaspoon of oil. There is no monosodium glutamate, preservatives, artificial flavorings or additives. With an 18-month shelf life, the Lazics have managed to create a product that is so versatile it can be used as a dip, spice, or base in a variety of cuisines. While most chili oils are developed for Asian cooking, Seven Spice products complement other foods like pizzas and pierogies.
“Fun fact,” says Natalia. “Our mild chili oil was a happy accident that was created when one of the first batches of the original chili oil was mistakenly produced with milder chili peppers.” The experience taught the Lazics to double check raw ingredients and taste the final product. Instead of rejecting the mild batch, they decided to market it. “Currently, half our sales come from the mild variety,” says Natalia. “We offer a product for everyone, at every heat level, which gives us a competitive advantage.”
The company produces its oils using the food centre’s interim processing services based on a daily fee. “When you’re first starting off, the food centre is the best place to process product,” says Natalia. “We bring in our own staff and get to work with actual scientists and technologists who help us develop the products and processes.”
The Lazics’ positive experience working with the food centre is largely credited to food scientist Craig Bansema. “I really value Craig’s expertise,” says Natalia. “He’s a great problem-solver who’s incredibly knowledgeable about condiments and has helped us save money producing our chili oils.”
The Lazics book as much time as they need throughout the year to manufacture, package and distribute Seven Spice products. At this point, the company is able to process its monthly inventory in just one day. Interim processing at the food centre has given the Lazics peace of mind. “With the facility being federally licensed and inspected, we can trust that every jar meets the highest food safety standards,” Natalia says. “That’s very important because it gives us the opportunity to sell products across Canada.”
While working with the food centre, the Lazics have received marketing and business development expertise. With this guidance, they have expanded sales from farmers’ markets to large retailers. Now consumers can find Seven Spice products on shelves at the Italian Centre, Co-op, Safeway, Sobeys, IGA and Amaranth Foods.
As their products gain uptake in the Canadian market, the Lazics hope to own their own facility or look into co-packing to satisfy increasing demand. For now, they feel like the food centre is the right place to be. “We feel very lucky and grateful to have been here for as long as we have,” says Natalia. “The food centre has given us the peace of mind and safe, reliable products to grow our business.”
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Wolfe Honey Ltd.
A buzz for organic beekeeping leads to labour of love in the Peace Region
After working for a local beekeeper at a young age, Gilbert Wolfe discovered his passion for beekeeping. With the apiculture buzz beckoning, Wolfe convinced his dad to buy him 50 beehives when he was 16 years old. It was 1984. By the time he was 18, Wolfe had 300 hives and was producing honey out of 3 granaries that were bolted together. The business continued to grow and evolve after he married and started a family. Nowadays, he runs Wolf Honey Ltd. and its Peace River Honey apiary with his wife and children.
One of the family’s goals was to create the highest quality organic honey in Alberta, which proved to be quite complicated in the beginning. So they began working with European experts in 1996 to learn how to produce a certified organic honey. “We pride ourselves on delivering a light-coloured honey that is free from chemicals, pesticides, and antibiotics,” says Wolfe. “Our product is creamed rather than heat treated to preserve subtle flavour notes and retain the natural nutrients and vitamins.”
The company follows a transparent, farm-to-fork approach to achieve sustainable production and build consumer trust. The Peace River Honey apiary was the first in Canada to be verified as non-GMO. “We’re transparent and able to control every stage of our production,” says Wolfe. “Our customers appreciate that our family business takes care to preserve the pure, natural goodness of honey.”
Over time, the family decided to expand into honey-based condiments and reached out to the Alberta Food Centre for help. “Our rural northern Alberta location made it difficult to recruit highly skilled food scientists to the area,” says Wolfe. “When we wanted to start packaging flavoured barbeque sauces and ketchup, the food centre was a tremendous resource.”
The Wolfes received guidance and expertise on product development, food safety and packaging. “The food scientists helped us develop a honey-based ketchup and three flavoured barbeque sauces,” says Wolfe. “We went to the food centre to use the packaging line. Being onsite allowed us to work with technicians to determine the right equipment, techniques and filling requirements to package our products to meet food safety standards.”
It was 2006. The next step for the Wolfes was to build a 40,000 square foot food manufacturing facility to process and package their own honey. The food centre’s food scientists travelled to the new plant to help the Wolfes finalize production processes and develop a food safety plan for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
“Now we’re self-sufficient in terms of growing our business thanks to the food centre’s assistance over the years,” says Wolfe. “We know if we need more help along the way, we can always call them with honey-related questions.”
Today, Wolfe Honey Ltd. is the largest organic apiary in Canada with full production, packaging and distribution capabilities. It has thousands of hives and employs more than 20 fulltime staff in the Peace River region. The company’s products are available on Costco Canada shelves and at Sprouts Farmers Market and Erewhon in the United States.
What began as one man’s interest in bees led to an entire family’s labour of love discovering new ways to sustainably produce pure all-natural organic honey in northern Alberta.
Business resources
At the Alberta Food Centre, we understand it can be exciting and challenging to start, manage and expand a food processing company. Here are a few resources to help you evolve your business venture:
- Work through an 8-step process to determine if starting an agri-food business is feasible:
- Step 1 – Define your goals: personal and family considerations
- Step 2 – Consider your options: an inventory of possibilities
- Step 3 – Identify your market: right buyer, right price
- Step 4 – Assess your resources: examining production requirements
- Step 5 – Review your finances: making the money work
- Step 6 – Analyze your profitability: manage your growth
- Step 7 – Launch your business: time for action
- Step 8 – Building your network: reaching out for support and advice
- Get the fact sheets to complete the 8 steps at agriculture business alternatives.
- Access guides, business planning documents, reports, videos, regulatory information and more at agri-processing business resources.
- Check out Biz Connect’s supports to help Alberta entrepreneurs and small businesses start, grow and succeed at small business resources.
Sign up for industry news
Every month we distribute Food News to food, beverage and ingredient processors with the latest information on:
- professional development opportunities
- training programs and courses
- funding sources
- awards and recognition programs
- agri-food industry events and resources
- regulatory updates
Subscribe below to get Food News. Read current and back issues.
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If you have any questions about this collection of personal information, you may contact the Business Development Manager at 403-340-7089 or [email protected].
Contact
Connect with the Alberta Food Centre:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-986-4793
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]
Address:
Food Processing Development Centre (Alberta Food Centre)
6309 45 Street
Leduc, Alberta T9E 7C5
Meet the team
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Management
Ken Gossen
Executive Director
Food and Bio Processing Branch
Phone: 780-980-4860
Email: [email protected]Elizabeth Melnichuk
Director
Operations
Phone: 780-980-4872
Email: [email protected]Michelle Sigvaldson
Director
Food Science and Development
Phone: 780-980-4820
Email: [email protected]Sasa Subasic
Manager
Facilities
Email: [email protected]Cody Cunningham
Manager
Business Development
Phone: 403-340-7089
Email: [email protected] -
Food scientists
Arie Vandermeer
Specializes in fresh and processed meat products, meat analogues, and protein-portion ready meal components.
Email: [email protected]Craig Bansema
Specializes in confectionery, sauces, condiments, beverages, and ready-to-eat meals.
Email: [email protected]Haihong Wang
Specializes in fresh and processed meat products and protein-portion ready meal components.
Email: [email protected]Jay Han
Specializes in dry- and wet-fractionation of plant proteins, extrusion, milling, snack bars, baked products and fresh produce.
Email: [email protected]Jingqi Yang
Specializes in dry- and wet-fractionation of plant proteins, extrusion, milling, plant-based products, fresh produce, freeze dried products.
Email: [email protected]Stuart Johnston
Specializes in plant protein functional profiling, dry- and wet-fractionation of plant proteins, beverages, sauces and condiments.
Email: [email protected]Zeb Pietrasik
Specializes in dairy and egg-based foods, condiments and sauces.
Email: [email protected] -
Business development
Business development officers
Flavio Salinas
Email: [email protected]Janet Henderson
Email: [email protected]Margurite Thiessen
Email: [email protected]Farmers’ market specialist
Eileen Kotowich
Email: [email protected]