Nine Canadian startups receive pulse protein funding
Protein Industries Canada has invested C$1.3 million in nine domestic startups to develop new plant-based foods, aiming to strengthen the supply chain and meet rising consumer demand.
Protein Industries Canada announced funding for nine startups across Canada to develop pulse-based food technologies. The announcement was made in Regina, Saskatchewan on October 7, 2026, inducting the new companies into its Strengthening the Canadian Supply Chain program.
Startup projects and locations
The funded startups span from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and are working on diverse pulse-protein applications in bakery, dairy alternatives, snacks, and meat products.
| Company | Location | Funding (C$) | Project Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tartistes Tarts Inc. | British Columbia | 150,000 | Novel pulse-protein bakery technologies |
| Nora’s Non Dairy | British Columbia | 148,600 | Plant-based dairy from oats, pea, and fava bean protein |
| Sperri | Nova Scotia | 150,000 | Meal replacement drinks with local pea and hemp proteins |
| Henri Nutrition | Quebec City | 150,000 | Clean-label, allergen-free pulse and seed snack bars |
| La Baguette | Vancouver | 150,000 | ProFermented, a protein-fortified pea and fava bean sourdough |
| Landish | Quebec | 109,500 | Canadian-origin protein powder using Rubisco protein |
| Big Mountain Foods | British Columbia | 150,000 | Freeze-thaw stable fried tofu cube from fava beans |
| Kung Fu Duck | Ontario | 121,500 | Blended pork floss with pea flour |
| Nuts for Cheese | Ontario | 149,300 | High-protein, plant-based dips using local pulses |
Tartistes Tarts aims to replace imported bakery ingredients with Canadian-made alternatives. Nora's Non Dairy uses fermentation and freeze-drying to create probiotic-rich, clean-label products. Sperri's project will help qualify domestic suppliers and reformulate existing drinks. Henri Nutrition is scaling production. La Baguette is commercialising its fortified bread. Landish is bringing a protein powder platform to market. Big Mountain Foods is commercialising its fava bean tofu cube. Kung Fu Duck is bringing its pea-flour blended pork floss to market. Nuts for Cheese is launching a new line of dips.
These projects focus on replacing imports, creating licensable Canadian intellectual property, and increasing domestic use of pulse ingredients. They aim to strengthen Canada's bakery supply chain and expand the use of Canadian oats and plant proteins in high-value functional foods.
Program impact and scale
The initiative represents a significant public-private investment aimed at boosting domestic processing, job creation, and GDP growth through alternative protein innovation. Protein Industries Canada, one of Canada’s five innovation clusters, invested C$1.3 million. The businesses themselves contributed another C$600,000.
The organization has a 10-year, C$353 million government commitment through to 2028. This has made Canada a leader in state-led financing for alternative proteins. The program aims to strengthen the Canadian food supply chain by increasing domestic processing of Canadian-grown crops. It supports small and medium-sized enterprises in reformulating or developing ingredients and food products using Canadian inputs.
Tyler Groeneveld, CEO of Protein Industries Canada, said: "Canada’s food production and value-added agriculture sector is built on strong foundations, but we have the opportunity to do more."
The program improves cost efficiencies and strengthens the domestic food supply chain. Canada’s plant-based sector is recognised as central to its broader food tech ecosystem.
Consumer context and market drivers
Growing consumer interest in plant-based foods is tempered by taste and texture concerns, which the new projects aim to address through improved product development. Fifty-four percent of Canadians want to increase their plant-based food intake. Yet thirty-six percent cite taste and texture as a key barrier to increasing consumption.
The majority of Canadians agree that the government should invest in protein diversification. This investment highlights Canada's growing role in alternative protein innovation as consumer demand for plant-based options rises. The initiative supports 34,000 jobs and has the potential to add upwards of C$5.4 billion to Canada's GDP.
