Webinar: Building Growth & Collaboration in Canada’s Food Innovation Ecosystem

Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) invites you to an engaging session with the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN).

CFIN is a national non-profit organization that connects Canada’s food sector to fresh ideas, cutting-edge technologies, and new collaborations. Through funding programs, success stories, and YODL (its digital platform), CFIN helps food businesses across Canada tackle barriers, explore new markets, and bring innovative products to life.

This session will explore opportunities for Saskatchewan companies to engage with CFIN and will feature a presentation followed by an interactive discussion.

What You’ll Gain

• A clear understanding of who CFIN is and how they support Canadian food businesses
• Insights into CFIN’s funding programs and recent success stories from across the country
• Introduction to YODL, CFIN’s digital platform that connects innovators with resources, funding, and collaboration opportunities
• Opportunity to share your own experiences, including:
  • What’s your biggest opportunity for growth in the food sector right now?
  • What’s your biggest barrier?
  • Where do you see the most need for collaboration?

Featured Speaker

Lavina Gully, Regional Innovation Director for British Columbia, Canadian Food Innovation Network
Lavina is a food scientist and product developer with over 15 years of experience in R&D, process development and ideation. She has worked in various industries such as bakery, soups, beverages, plant-based nutrition and meat alternatives, and has launched numerous new products into club, retail and foodservice channels.

She loves the multi-disciplinary aspect of R&D, and started her career immersed in ingredient functionality, process engineering, quality systems, packaging and scale-up. Prior to joining CFIN, Lavina was responsible for exploring the fuzzy front-end of the innovation process and developing long-range strategies for consumer-led product concepts.

In addition to her R&D experience, she has also worked as an SR&ED consultant, servicing CPG and agri-food businesses across British Columbia, and, as a food technology instructor at BCIT.

Lavina hopes to draw upon her hands-on industry and manufacturing experience to help businesses achieve their innovation goals. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and a Master of Food Science from the University of British Columbia, and is also proud to serve on the board of CIFST.

Come Ready to Engage

Bring your questions and reflections. This is your chance to both learn from CFIN and shape how they support Saskatchewan companies.

Registration

To secure your spot for this webinar, please REGISTER by January 21, 2026. You will receive confirmation of your registration along with a link to the webinar directly from Zoom.

Don’t miss out, RSVP TODAY!