Avena Foods oats and pulses

© Avena Foods

Investments & Acquisitions

Protein Industries Canada Announces $19.2M Investment in Canadian Plant-Based Ingredients Project

Global innovation cluster Protein Industries Canada has unveiled a $19.2 million investment initiative to develop innovative Canadian ingredients for new snack and food options. Avena Foods, a key player in this project, will leverage the funding to create oat and pulse ingredients that will replace processing aids in products by Big Mountain Foods, Danone Canada, and Old Dutch Foods. This will lead to new consumer offerings, including allergy-friendly alternatives. The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, stated, “The global food market is in need of sustainable and nutritious ingredients, and Canada is helping meet that demand. By supporting projects like this one, Protein Industries Canada, one of Canada’s global innovation clusters, is securing Canada’s position as a global supplier of plant-based ingredients.” Protein …

more

Big Mountain Foods

©Big Mountain Foods

Investments & Finance

Big Mountain Foods Receives $1.4M From Canadian Gov’t to Expand, Launch New Chickpea Tofu

Big Mountain Foods, a plant-based foods manufacturer, has received over $1.4M in Canadian federal funding to increase production capacity of its locally-sourced, whole-food alternative proteins. The company says the funds will also help commercialize a new soy-free, chickpea-based tofu.  The investment is part of the AgriInnovate Program, an initiative to support increasing the competitiveness and sustainability of Canadian agri-business. With the new funding, Big Mountain plans to add custom, automated robotic equipment to improve production volume and efficiency. The brand will also begin to commercialize a new tofu product made from 100% Canada-grown and milled chickpeas. Towards that end, the company reveals it is commissioning a Vancouver plant capable of producing up to 2 million pounds of tofu every year.  Using whole foods Based in …

more

tofu made with fava beans

© Big Mountain Foods

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Big Mountain Foods Launches “Category-Disrupting” Tofu Made With Fava Beans

Canada’s Big Mountain Foods has launched tofu made with fava beans instead of soy. The new product is the result of six years of development and is said to function and taste just like medium-firm soy tofu. According to Big Mountain, the tofu is a market first and has a huge 95% more protein than leading soy-based brands. It contains only Canadian fava beans and is available in two varieties — regular and smoked. Many consumers avoid soy due to allergies or concerns about GMOs, so Big Mountain’s product will provide a much-needed solution to a gap in the market. The company describes the soy-free tofu as “a real category disruptor”. Innovation by Big Mountain Foods The fava bean tofu is not Big Mountain’s only …

more

protein powder

© New Africa - stock.adobe.com

Company News

Protein Industries Canada Partners with Plant-Based Brands to Develop New Uses for Pulse Flours

Protein Industries Canada, a not-for-profit organisation aiming to position Canada as a source of quality plant proteins, has announced a collaboration with several plant-based and gluten-free brands. The organisation will work alongside Avena Foods, Daiya Foods, Big Mountain Foods, Bakenology, and The Village Bakery to research and develop new applications for pulse flours.

more