U-Be-Livin-Smart is a company that’s compressing 10 pounds
of fruits or vegetables into one pound of nutrient-dense products that require
no additives or preservatives.
It’s the brain child of veterans at Campbell Soup Co. and
Kraft plus two others who began work on their product four years ago.
They are selling muffins, vitamins and healthy snacks across
North America now; 92 per cent of their sales are exports to the United States.
Tim Sinclair, who used to work for Campbell Soup, also
boasts that their products are GMO free and gluten free.
He said big companies – eight of them account for 85 per
cent of global processed-food sales – aren’t interested in radical innovation
because they’re comfortable doing business as usual.
It’s small startups, such as theirs, that are the
innovators, he said.
He praised Ontario Agri-Food Technologies for helping the
company launch, including into export markets.
And he said “there’s no way we could have done this” without
support from the federal government’s Agri-Innovations program.
Andrew Stewart told how he and Jerry Chizick founded Amazing
Grains that markets grains sprouted by Spring Farms at the former Seaforth
Dairy plant at Seaforth.
It’s products are sold mainly as ingredients to food
manufacturers.
As with U-Be-Livin-Smart, it advertises its products as GMO
free, allergy free because they contain no dairy, soy or nuts and grown to
organic standards.
Most of its sales are also to clients in the United States.
Trader Joe’s, a high-scale grocery chain, was one of its
first customers. Others use its ingredients to produce smoothies, pastries,
snack mixes, bars and loaf cakes.
A school board in New York buys bars. The company has other
customers in the Middle East and China.
Loblaws is the only company that markets its products under
the Amazing Grains label.
It markets healthy products that contain Foxtail millet,
which reduces blood sugar and cholesterol, flax, buckwheat, quinoa, chia and
mushrooms.
Jamie Draves of Katan Kitchens told he was told that his
quinoa business would capture only a small niche market, but has exploded into
the mainstream.
He has set out to exploit a global market for high-protein,
high-quality food. Last year local growers harvested 20,000 pounds; this year
they’re aiming to grow five times as much.
He has already gained clients in the retail, foodservice and
food processing markets.
The University of Guelph helped to develop varieties suited
to Ontario and are continuing that plant-breeding effort. A three-year
plant-breeding program for Western Canada has begun.
“I hope to replicate this success with other high-protein
crops,” said Draves
Although quinoa will supply about 60 per cent of daily
requirements for iron and about 40 per cent for magnesium and provides calcium
so far Draves has not gained approval from the federal government to make any
health claims.
B. Keith Harris, who started Troll Bridge Creek Co. to market
Maple Sweet Water, said it’s the first to market sap instead of syrup.
Now there are 18 competitors.
He has had help from the University of Guelph, Innovation
Guelph, Enterprise Guelph as well as Ontario Agri-Food Technologies and is
exporting to the United States, the European Union, Australia. Taiwan and Korea
and hopes to soon sell to Japan, China and New Zealand.
His sap comes from McLachlan Family Maple Syrup and Pancake
House at Komoka and is processed In Mississauga.
