Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre

10/09/2026

🍂🦃 Happy Thanksgiving from OAFVC! 🧡 This Thanksgiving, we're taking a moment to appreciate the incredible food and beverage entrepreneurs, clients, partners, and community supporters who are part of the OAFVC family!

From innovative food products to growing businesses, we're grateful to play a part in your entrepreneurial journeys and see your ideas come to life! 🌱🍎

🍁 Holiday Closure Reminder: OAFVC will be closed on Monday, October 12th for Thanksgiving. We'll be back on Tuesday, October 13th!

Wishing all our clients, followers, friends, and families a wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend filled with good food, great company, and plenty to be thankful for! 🧡

Northumberland County offices will be closed on Monday, October 12th for Thanksgiving.

Other holiday reminders:
♻️ Community Recycling Centres will be closed on Monday, October 12th
🗑️Waste collection will bump forward one day the week of October 12th

10/05/2026

✨ From wholesome ingredients to handcrafted goodness! 🌱

Take a peek behind the scenes with Esme + Sita as their delicious organic seed bars are carefully moulded and filled with a nourishing trio of seeds.

Made with 100% organic ingredients, Esme + Sita creates unique seed bars and health powders that are as nutritious as they are delicious. 😋

✅ The bars are preservative free, additive free, nut free, dairy free, gluten free, made with organic honey and spices.

At OAFVC, we love supporting food entrepreneurs like Esme + Sita as they bring their product to life! 👏🏼

09/25/2026

🔥 From Recipe to Production… and One Step Closer to the Shelf!

Duncan and the team from Lilly Dipper Foods as they bring their recipe to life at production scale, making their Lip Fackin’ Smackin’ Sauce! 😋

From producing, filling and sealing to getting cases packed and ready to ship out the doors and onto store shelves 📦🚚🛒 It’s all about turning a great food idea into a market-ready product.

At OAFVC, we’re here to help food entrepreneurs take the next step:

➡️ Recipe to Production
➡️ Production to Shelf
➡️ Shelf to Sales

Have a recipe you’re ready to bring to market? Contact OAFVC and let’s talk about how we can help you move your food product from concept to production and into the hands of customers. 🤝

LillyDipper Fooderie

09/23/2026

🚨 APPLY NOW — DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 25!
Ready to take your food or beverage business to the next level? The Foodpreneur Advantage Scale-Up/Accelerator Program is accepting applications for its Fall 2026 Cohort — but time is running out!

✅ Designed for established, in-market food & beverage businesses
✅ 10 expert-led sessions
✅ Practical tools and deliverables you can apply directly to your business
✅ Topics include profitability, production, branding, retail, marketing, pitching & leadership
✅ Coaching, mentorship and industry connections
✅ Limited spots available!

🗓️ Applications close September 25, 2026.

👉 Apply now and get ready to scale! https://foodpreneuradvantage.ca/scale-up-accelerator-program/

09/23/2026

💻 TOMORROW WEBINAR: Join in, live and virtual with other food entrepreneurs from across Ontario!

Great packaging does three things: protects your product, satisfies regulations, and sells your brand.

Join former Boho Bars Founder & CEO Nicole Haney to learn the packaging and labelling essentials every food founder should know.
Because great products deserve great packaging.

📅 Thursday, September 24, 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
💻 Online | Free to Attend 👉 https://becn.ca/programs/foodpreneur-advantage-program/

In partnership with Foodpreneur Advantage and Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland

09/10/2026

Live Virtual Training! Start, grow, and build with your team of experts. Join us through these live sessions with Foodpreneur Advantage. Catch the next one!

Building a food business with food safety in mind! 🍯🧀
Whether you're manufacturing products yourself, working from a commercial kitchen, or partnering with a co-packer, understanding food safety expectations is essential for building a successful food business! Join the Foodpreneur Advantage program today to learn more!
🗓 Thursday, September 17, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM
In this FREE 60-minute online webinar, you’ll learn:
✅ Food safety fundamentals every food business needs
✅ Practical production best practices
✅ How food safety supports retailer readiness and consumer trust
✅ Common startup mistakes to avoid

Register here, and select Northumberland as your provider: https://becn.ca/programs/foodpreneur-advantage-program/

Building a food business with food safety in mind! 🍯🧀
Whether you're manufacturing products yourself, working from a commercial kitchen, or partnering with a co-packer, understanding food safety expectations is essential for building a successful food business! Join the Foodpreneur Advantage program today to learn more!

🗓 Thursday, September 17, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM

In this FREE 60-minute online webinar, you’ll learn:
✅ Food safety fundamentals every food business needs
✅ Practical production best practices
✅ How food safety supports retailer readiness and consumer trust
✅ Common startup mistakes to avoid

Sign up today! https://becn.ca/programs/foodpreneur-advantage-program/

09/02/2026

🍅For Food & Beverage Businesses: Tomorrow's Workshop! 💻
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR PRODUCT ACTUALLY COSTS YOU?

Learn how to:
✅ Calculate your true Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
✅ Understand gross margins and unit economics
✅ Build profitable wholesale and retail pricing
✅ Calculate your break-even point
✅ Improve cash flow and financial forecasting
✅ Make smarter pricing decisions for growth

🎁 BONUS: Participants will receive a comprehensive Excel financial forecasting tool, complete with examples to help build cash flow projections, pricing models and profitability forecasts.
Stop guessing what to charge. Know your numbers and price with confidence.

📅 Thursday, September 3, 2026
⏰ 10:00 a.m.
💻 Online | FREE
👉 Register today! https://becn.ca/programs/foodpreneur-advantage-program/

Join this practical session to gain the financial tools and knowledge needed to build a profitable food business. Learn about product costing, cash flow, budgeting, and profit planning, and receive valuable forecasting templates to support your success.

Price smarter. Plan better. Grow stronger.

📅 Thursday, September 3, 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
💻 Online | Free to Attend

Register now and get the knowledge you need to turn your food business idea into reality!

🔗 https://foodpreneuradvantage.ca/start-up-seminars

08/26/2026

💡LIVE and interactive WORKSHOP: "How to Sell Your Food Products"
🗓️ Thursday, August 17 @ 10am | Live and virtual.

Join Foodpreneur Advantage and guest speaker Nicole Haney, former Founder & CEO of Boho Bars, as she shares practical insights on selling at markets, online, and through retailers.
https://www.nicolehaney.com/

Learn strategies for pricing, product positioning, marketing, and customer engagement, and gain actionable tips to help attract customers, build loyalty, and increase sales.

📅 Thursday, August 27, 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
💻 Online | Free to Attend

In partnership with Foodpreneur Advantage and Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland

Click to Register: https://becn.ca/programs/foodpreneur-advantage-program/

08/17/2026

We were pleased to welcome Steve and Phil from the London Small Business Centre and Foodpreneur Advantage to the OAFVC for a tour and some great conversation! 👏🌱

It was a valuable opportunity to talk strategy, strengthen partnerships, share resources and expertise, and brainstorm new ways to better support food and beverage entrepreneurs across Ontario.

Thank you, Steve and Phil, for making the trip, we’re excited about the opportunities ahead! 🤝

🗓 Register for the upcoming Foodpreneur Advantage free training on August 20: https://becn.ca/programs/foodpreneur-advantage-program/
Select Northumberland as your workshop provider.

08/10/2026

🤝 Support to Sell Your Food Across Provincial Borders:
On June 10, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) launched a concierge service for small and medium sized businesses to improve interprovincial food trade.

📈 The service is designed to provide support for food businesses who are looking to expand their operations across Canada to help navigate understanding and acquiring federal licenses including the Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) license.

Businesses can schedule one-on-one virtual meetings with CFIA employees to help understand their unique needs and begin the licensing process while identifying gaps between their current practices and regulatory expectations.

💻 Click for more information:
https://inspection.canada.ca/en/making-trading-food/interprovincial-support-service