Niagara College’s Canadian Food & Wine Institute (CFWI) Innovation Centre had a strong presence at the food entrepreneur competition happening this month at SIAL Canada’s largest North American food event April 20-22 in Montreal.
The Food Scale-Up’s Pitch Competition, by SIAL Canada, a leading name in the agri-food industry, offers eligible food entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their food product, or new technology related to the food manufacturing industry, to an expert jury. Food start-ups also receive one-on-one access to industry experts on business development, PR, branding, consumer trends and more.
Research & Innovation’s Ana Cristina Vega Lugo, PhD, Scientific Manager with the CFWI Innovation Centre, chaired the jury panel for the Food Scale-Up Pitch event, joining other industry leaders, retailers and technical advisors, and investors, media and other entrepreneurs from the food industry. During the 2022 competition, a total of 15 participants pitched their ideas to the judges, who awarded a top prize in the Food and Beverage category, and one in the Technology and Packaging category.
As in past competitions, the CFWI Innovation Centre has offered a 20-hour consultation by its experts as a major prize to the winner in each category.
Other prizes include international recognition through SIAL Canada and the global network to which it belongs, and a complimentary booth at SIAL Canada 2023.
SIAL Canada is now also the only event of its scale in Canada, with more than 1,000 national and international exhibitors from 50 countries hosting more than 18,500 buyers from Canada, the United States, and 60 other countries.
