OAFVC Blog

The value of working with a commercial kitchen is undeniable: there are so many benefits. But one of the best advantages of working with Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre is Sharpe’s Food Market. Sharpe’s is an award winning (Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year, silver, 2016) grocery store in downtown Campbellford, in Northumberland County. Sharpe’s has worked with OAFVC for a number of years to offer a retail location to sell products made in our commercial kitchen.

If you are passionate about making food, serving people, and owning your own food business, then starting a food truck is a great decision. Food trucks are popular, fun, and have the potential to be very lucrative. The mobile convenience of bringing food to people is a huge benefit to consumers, and it’s one they are willing to pay for.

Food packaging and labelling is often the first introduction people have to your brand. And it can be the deciding factor as to whether or not people are willing to purchase your product. The purpose of packaging is simple: prevent leakage, maintain freshness, and appeal to the customer, all while meeting food packaging standards. Having high quality packaging with a creative design will attract customers and help them recognize your product when they come back for more.

With everything in life there are pros and cons, except maybe chocolate cake — that would be all pro. However, there are pros and cons to food packaging. Your package is very often how your brand is identified in stores and farmers’ markets. Food packaging is really the only way you can ensure the food does not become contaminated. With proper packaging, you will extend the shelf life of your product while maintaining flavour and nutrients. How your product is packaged could also make or break a business.

There’s a lot of information available to entrepreneurs who want to sell their food products at farmers’ markets or in stores. With so much to sift through, it’s hard to know what’s true, what’s myth, and what’s actually helpful. So here’s the real story on 3 food packaging myths you won’t have to research anymore.

If you have an established food business but you’re worried it’s getting stagnant, here are some low cost ideas you can experiment with:

So you’ve got an idea for a new food product. Maybe it’s a great product you can’t believe doesn’t exist in stores, or an old family recipe you want to share with the world. You’ve heard Ontario is a great place to start a food business: near farms for direct access to raw ingredients; access to support networks and funding programs; and lots of roads connecting you to the rest of North America, so you can distribute your product with relative ease. But that’s also made it a competitive place for food businesses. So where do you start, and how do you succeed?

With an explosion in the number of craft breweries in Ontario, hops have had a resurgence in popularity. But since hops can only be harvested five to six weeks of the year, hops producers must find effective storage to ensure fresh brews all year round. Turning hops into pellets — known as pellet hops — for storage takes up less room, and gives hops a longer shelf life (around 2 years) compared to storing dried whole-leaf hops (around 6 months).

Although you will sometimes hear the terms blast chillers and flash freezers used interchangeably, they actually have two distinct functions. Often, in commercial kitchens, both are used in food processing to increase productivity and reduce waste. Whether you want to preserve berries, tarts, or pre-made meals, your business can benefit from using a blast chiller or flash freezer.

In today’s world, new trends emerge faster than we can read our Twitter feeds. And the food production industry is no exception. As more information about nutrition and consumption become available, trends change. Add in technological advances, which support new products and processes, and the trends are updated again.

Food waste is doubly dangerous: it hurts your small business’s bottom line and the environment. A major consideration when expanding your food production business is how to stay green and continue to be environmentally conscious, even though you are producing more.

Purchasing commercial kitchen equipment is a huge decision. First, you must rent or own space to use and house the equipment in. Then, you must consider whether to buy new or used ones. There’s also the maintenance of that equipment, utilities for your space, plus wages for any staff you may already have or need to hire.