Grow Guelph will showcase many of Guelph’s agri-food assets and companies including: the Guelph Food Technology Centre, Gay Lea Foods, Taste Real, Wellington Brewery and On-Trace Agri-Food Traceability in a 600 sq ft pavilion at this year’s 2011 Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association Show March 6-8, 2011 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.
This year’s cost shared program is featuring Anna Olson, celebrity chef and TV host of Canadian Food Network’s “Fresh with Anna Olson”. Anna will be promoting Guelph producers and programs through cooking demonstrations, speaker series and panel discussion and at the Grow Guelph pavilion.
“CRFA is a leading food industry event providing the perfect venue for the Grow Guelph team to interact with potential investment prospects, while at the same time allowing us to support and promote Guelph’s existing agri-food companies and researchers at the show – it really is a win-win for everyone.” says Barbara Maly Senior Business Development Specialist – Agri-food and Innovation Sectors.
The Agri-food and ag-bio industry has been identified in Guelph’s Economic Development and Tourism Services Strategy, Prosperity 2020, as a targeted investment growth sector. This industry employs approximately 6,500 people in Guelph and is supported by 43 research centres and programs. More than $350 million of private investment has been attracted to this sector since 2003.
Director of University and Community Relations Sue Bennett says “the University of Guelph has leading researchers and scientists in the fields of food and nutritional sciences committed to helping industry solve problems and become more innovative. It is at a show like CRFA that these research and industry connections can be made.”
About Grow Guelph
Grow Guelph is City of Guelph and University of Guelph economic development partnership and has been created to build upon and promote research discoveries and business opportunities in Guelph’s prominent agri-food, clean tech, ICT and advanced manufacturing sectors. Grow Guelph markets and invests in these sectors with the overall aim to nurture and help the investments made in this area, grow and prosper. www.growguelph.com.