BE Guide Nov 2023 WORKING

AGRIBUSINESS INNOVATION SYSTEM

The Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies (AAAS) is a not for profit, non-governmental, provincial association formed in 1947 that advocates and provides resources for the 293 Agricultural Societies in Alberta. DuPont Pioneer is a facility with an automated greenhouse and 2 research labs with a primary focus on the development of new crop hybrids. Innotech Alberta conducts crop research, working with alternative crops and developing resilient strains. The Protein Supercluster is a $4.5 billion federally funded supercluster created to promote and grow the plant based protein industry. The University of Alberta Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences is a graduate department dedicated to the advancement of food and nutritional science. The department is the first of its kind in North America, reflecting the integration of many disciplines. Agri-Value Processing Business Incubator (APBI) is a multi-tenant facility located in Leduc (within the Edmonton Metropolitan Region) that provides the infrastructure and services to support agricultural -based businesses.

EDMONTON AGRIBUSINESS

• Major sub-sector growth in value-added products

• Export trade opportunities in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim

• 700+ Food Processing Business Licenses in Edmonton

• Food and beverage is Alberta’s second largest industry (20.8%)

• $15.82 Billion value of shipments

• Over $4.2 million invested in FPDC to ensure agri-food companies can access critical resources needed to develop new products and capitalize on new market opportunities for plant-based foods • Pulse input for plant-based protein is the fastest growing agri-sector. The estimated global demand by 2030 is $100 Billion. • New ag-celerator food manufacturing facility has an ambitious role to serve the $36 million air cargo food expansion plan at Edmonton International Airport.

The Centre for Culinary Innovation at NAIT creates applied research solutions to directly respond to challenges in Alberta’s $50 billion food industry. By supporting the development of new or improved food products, equipment, and processes, the Centre creates tangible value to its industry partners.