What's Happening in the Park!

Happy New Year, everyone! 🥂✨

With a new year comes new opportunities, and the Park is buzzing with events, programs, partnerships, and resources to kick off 2024. 

 We are excited to host our exclusive demo day for Cohort 16, our first in-person gathering since before the pandemic, and open applications for our programs, which help over 130 CPG entrepreneurs start, build, and grow their ventures. ✈️

Now, the latest installment of Park News includes free resources, inspiration, and more for your CPG start-up.  

Explore Venturepark Labs

Find the perfect kitchen in Toronto to grow your food venture 🧑🍳

 Toronto has become one of Canada's most bustling and exciting food scene, especially for food startups. To help food startups find their ideal production space, we have highlighted five incredible commercial kitchens in Toronto that can accommodate and facilitate their production needs.

Read More at Ventureparklabs.ca

Push Your Potential with Venturepark’s Accelerator Program!

We are still accepting applications for our flagship accelerator program. To date, the program has helped over 100 entrepreneurs gain: 

🔍 In-person sessions featuring industry experts from coast to coast.🤝 Mentorship from seasoned CPG pros eager to share their insights. 

📚 Knowledge to navigate and thrive in today's competitive business landscape.🌐 Networking opportunities with distributors, retailers, and investors at our exclusive Demo Day.

🤝 Build meaningful connections with a network of experts and fellow entrepreneurs. 

Apply to the next cohort of the Accelerator Program now (Deadline Feb. 18)

How can you use distributors to grow? There's a Park Guide for that! 📰

 This Park Guide is a FREE resource that provides vital insights for working with distributors. (more info on what it includes) 

 Access our Park Guide collection to unlock valuable insights that will support the growth of your CPG business.

Download the guide for you to grow! 🗺

Introducing the Park Person of the Month, Logan Derksen, Founder and CEO of Simply Cocktails! 🍸

Logan's journey with us began as a participant in Accelerator Cohort 12, and he quickly became an indispensable part of our community. Over the past two years, his commitment to supporting local entrepreneurs has been unwavering.

Through being a guest speaker at Venturepark's Accelerator events, Logan generously shares his knowledge and experiences, providing invaluable guidance to our community.

Congratulations, Logan, on this well-deserved recognition! Your dedication inspires us all.

• What inspired you to become an entrepreneur? I feel like I always had an entrepreneurial spirit, however, in reality, I was forced into it.  I was working in corporate strategy for an oil and gas services company when covid hit and was laid off in early 2020.  I had bartended during university and for a short period after and wanted to create a product that would make it easy to make unique cocktails at home.  Being laid off really gave me time to work on Simply Cocktails and bring a product to market.

• What moment are you most proud of in your entrepreneurial journey? I think for me, the thing that I am the most proud of is that we have created a business that has been able to replace my income, give me more freedom, and provide jobs for others.  

• What motivates you to continue supporting Venturepark's community and the CPG industry? First and foremost I love hearing the different stories of why entrepreneurs started their businesses, and why they're doing what they're doing.  I know how tough it can be to launch and begin to scale a CPG company so I love to provide insights where I can.

Learn more about Simply Cocktails

Member Spotlight: Fahmee Bakery’s beloved Jamaican patties return to Toronto’s Bathurst Station 🥐

Two years ago — after a fire shut down Fahmee Bakery’s main location in Scarborough that halted their production and supply for Jamaican patties’ fans.

Now, the bakery has returned stronger than ever to Toronto’s Bathurst station and producing at Venturepark’s food incubator in North York.

Don’t miss their inspiring story of perseverance and triumph, featured on CBC 🎬.

Watch behind the scenes of these historical patties here

Introducing Accelerator Cohort 16!

 After four months of hard work, dedication, and invaluable learning experiences, our cohort is ready to take center stage at an exclusive, ✨invitation-only✨ Demo Day in Toronto.

 In this exclusive event, each founder will showcase their brand's story and connect with the industry, including our founder, Arlene Dickinson, and our sponsors who make it possible: Sobeys, BMO, Tree of Life, Torys LLP, and Caddy. 

Presenting all companies in Cohort 16:

🌸 Northern Wildflowers (northernwildflowers.ca)

Northern Wildflowers was founded in 2012 by Jenny Fortier with a mission to support Canadian farmers and agriculture. Northern Wildflowers provides high-quality garden seeds, bulk seeds for restoration projects, and custom seeds collected for nurseries. North Wildflowers donates at least 1% of their annual sales to promote food security, wild space enjoyment, and schoolyard greening.

🥤 Brite Water (brite-water.com) Kristin and her team noticed a gap in the market for locally made sparkling water in Manitoba and set out to create a good product for people to drink and positively impact the planet. Brite Water is made with locally sourced water and natural flavour extracts, with zero-sugar, zero-calories, and zero-proof. Their unique production process ensures that quality is never compromised.

🌭 Ouh-Mami Foods (ouhmamifoods.com) With a family legacy of 20+ years in building a successful business and introducing authentic Asian meat products in Quebec, Peter Tran and Amanda Hui are driven by the ambition to carry on this tradition. Their latest venture, Ouh-Mami Foods, offers premium sausages packed with healthy ingredients, high-

🍄 Muskoka Mudita Mushroom Tea (muskokamuditachagatea.com) Based in Northern Ontario, Muskoka Mudita was founded by two inspiring founders, Chelsea Bernas, and Dan Porter. Chelsea's mother introduced her to Chaga to heal her endometriosis, and Chelsea and Dan learned about the profound health benefits of the mushroom that led to the birth of the brand. Now, they provide chaga products offering ready-to-go teas, skincare, and sugar-free tinctures.

🌶️ Lost in the Sauce (LITS) (lostinthesauce.ca) Based in Toronto, ON, Karthy Subramaniam founded LITS to honour his friend, Brandon Boodoo, who passed a year before their launch. The brand aims to elevate the food experience through gourmet sauces that'll add the perfect balance of heat and flavour while being accessible to those with special diets and functional for those with busy lifestyles.

🍀 Brother Sprout (Brothersprout.com) Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, Li-an Delos Reyes has a mission to create an accessible nutritious protein option that is delicious, budget-friendly, and sustainable.  She revolutionized the industry with her innovative shelf-stable plant protein, Brother Sprout, that can satisfy her customers' taste buds with their favourite meals.

🍭 Laura Raes The Caramel (lauraraes.ca) After a joyful night of enjoying beer-infused caramel popcorn with her friends, Sheri had the random thought of turning it into candies. She began her journey of experimentation, tweaks, trials, and errors to perfect the candy. Based in Elora, Ontario, this delicious caramel candy offers various flavours, with each bite giving the sweetest moments in everyone's lives.

🥞 STAC(S) (stacsoriginal.ca)

Back in 2021, this pancake mix brand was born in Toronto out of a shared love for pancakes, mornings, and giving back. Its founders aim to build a community of like-minded individuals who want to create positive change in the world. Combining their hospitality, design, marketing, and retail backgrounds, Kailey, Adrian, and Tony created a unique and delicious pancake mix that stands out from the rest.

🍪 The Wild Root Company (thewildrootcompany.com) With a mission to offer enjoyable snacks without feeling sick, Tanessa came up with an idea to provide an alternative sourdough that is always related to bread. But,Wild Root is anything but bread. This brand offers a diverse range of sourdough starters

and delicious snacks like cookies, biscuits, and crackers; encouraging people to step towards a healthier and happier life.

🥯 Better Basics Milling (betterbasicsmilling.com) After struggling with food-related health issues for years, Alyssa found a hole from a loaf that was homemade by her neighbour. She felt empowered and energized by its positive impact on her health and started milling her own clean and organic stone-milled flour and starting the business to benefit from this healthier choice.

🍮 Salted (shopsalted.ca) These three incredible moms and baking wizards hail from Flagstaff County, Alberta, and are on a mission to spread joy and love through their luxurious salted caramel creations. With their passion for gifting and unwavering commitment to quality, these queens of caramel have crafted a truly indulgent candy that will leave you feeling cherished and delighted.

☕️ 32 Lakes Coffee Roasters (32lakes.com) This company leads the third-wave coffee movement, focusing on natural flavours and reduced bitterness. Margo created 32 Lakes Coffee Roasters with a vision to create exceptional tasting coffee while making a positive impact through quarterly cleanups and the Bean2Soup program, which supports individuals facing challenges.

🥣 NEEVA Snacks (neevasnacks.com) Driven by his passion for fitness and health, Sandrew wanted to create something nutritious, fun, and approachable. He envisioned something that would excite everyone every day, and that's how he came up with pre-packaged high-protein cereal in a shaker's cup. It brings the taste of everyone's favourite childhood cereal along with the convenience of being fast, on the go, and enjoyable.

🐶 Wag & Bright Supply Co. (ca.wagbright.com) The pet industry and government often fail to adopt higher testing standards and regulations for pet products, leaving consumers feeling skeptical and confused. Andrea Cornie aims to change this by prioritizing transparency and honesty in its inspection protocols through her brand, Wag & Bright Supply, which offers oral products for dogs that are proof of inspection, testing, and certification from independent laboratories.

🍯 Paradis Valley Honey (paradisvalleyhoney.com) This family-owned social enterprise has produced Grade A raw honey and pollen for Canadians for seven generations. Ginnete Paradis and her family prioritize preserving traditional and sustainable beekeeping methods while innovating for a sustainable future. Paradis Valley Honey is committed to expanding their business through retail and fundraising while keeping ethical practices.

🧇 True Taste Cafe (Truetaste.com) As a Holistic Nutritionist with a health sensitivity history, Amber Seel created True Taste Café to offer high-quality Belgian waffles and mixes free from gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, nuts, grains, and oils. True Taste Cafe aims to help families experience joy with delicious and healthy waffles.

See the stories behind Cohort 16

Growing food entrepreneurship in Canada with Mike McNeil, Vice President of Venturepark Labs and Food Grads 🎧

In this episode, Mike McNeil and Food Grads engage in a discussion concerning the Venturepark Labs program and its contributions to Canadian entrepreneurs, along with its economic impact.

Mike also shares his professional journey, transitioning from a political background to a role that supports the growth of consumer-packaged goods businesses in Canada.

Sobeys, BMO, Tree of Life Canada, Torys LLP, Caddy, City of Toronto, StartUp Here Toronto, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario | Agence fédérale de ..., National Research Council Canada / Conseil national de recherches Canada