Increasing Economic Prosperity through Beverage Innovation & Commercialization

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Food and beverage (F&B) manufacturing is a large economic driver in the greater Niagara region, providing employment for more than 3,500 employees . The beverage sector has identified major gaps in the ecosystem that hold them back from innovating with new products, including a lack of affordable research expertise, equipment and facilities. Furthermore, there is a growing demand, and much needed novel research, for the inclusion of cannabis compounds in F&B products due to recent legalization in Canada. In this proposal entitled "Increasing Economic Prosperity through Beverage Innovation & Commercialization", Niagara College (NC) seeks to better serve the needs of the growing Ontario F&B industry through expanded applied research solutions. NC has a strategic position to support local F&B producers with applied research, and has demonstrated leadership in culinary arts, food science, wine, beer, spirits, and cannabis production. The Canadian Food & Wine Institute Innovation Centre (CFWI IC) is one of three innovation centres at NC and its mandate is to assist SMEs in the F&B sector to commercialize products and bring them to market. This proposal builds on an incredible demand by regional beverage manufacturers and more than 6 years of capacity-building in F&B research and development. Objectives are focused on feasibility studies (pre- and post-market services and risk assessments); beverage research and product development (innovative processes and incorporating key market trends); consumer acceptance and quality assurance; and conducting research test runs through a small-batch, scale-up beverage processing laboratory. Food safety will underpin everything we do. This will allow the CFWI IC to provide enhanced experiential learning opportunities for students and meet strong local industry demand, by filling an important gap in beverage research and innovation in the ecosystem.