Small Scale Food Processor Association (SSFPA)

🫩 Do you suffer from the 2am “why am I even doing this” spirals? You're not alone. Running a food business can be incredibly rewarding, but the reality is that it can also be isolating. Wellness Wednesday is a free monthly drop-in conversation for SSFPA members, held on the second Wednesday of every month and facilitated by Stephanie Markakis-Plouffe. Next edition: September 9, 2026 Get the calendar link 👉 https://champ.ly/di2CkhYD

A major step forward for Indigenous market access in Canada. The NCIAF is proud to announce the first initiative under our broader National Market Access Strategy, developed through our partnership with Sobeys Inc., a subsidiary of Empire Company Limited. Together, we are launching a pilot at a Safeway store in Madison Square, Winnipeg featuring a dedicated end cap for Indigenous-made products. Sobeys identified Manitoba as the province where customers most frequently asked for greater access to Indigenous-made products. By starting where the need is greatest, we can learn, refine the model, and build a framework for national expansion. This initiative is about far more than shelf space. It is about removing barriers, strengthening supplier readiness, increasing visibility, and creating a sustainable pathway for Indigenous food businesses to enter and grow within mainstream retail. The Winnipeg initiative is the first visible outcome of a multi-year partnership focused on meaningful, measurable, and lasting impact. Relationships first. Shared outcomes. National impact. Mitsoh Boreal Heartland Native Canadian Chip Corporation Tomahawk Chips #IndigenousBusiness #IndigenousAgriculture #IndigenousFood #MarketAccess #EconomicReconciliation #RetailPartnership #NCIAF

🍞 Ever feel like the deck is stacked when you're trying to compete with the big guys in food? You're not wrong , and now there's a place to say so. The Competition Bureau of Canada is examining competition across the entire food supply chain: production, distribution, and retail pricing. SSFPA is collecting responses from members like you to build one strong submission on behalf of the sector. Regardless of if you're an SSFPA member or not, we think all food businesses should set aside some time to complete the Competition Bureau of Canada's survey "behind the price tag." Deadline: July 31, 2026 👉 https://champ.ly/EqXJgZsy

🎉 WOW! Thank you to everyone who participated in our Competition Bureau of Canada town halls and surveys. We've had 30+ survey responses and over 80 participants at our town halls - One thing is clear, we need to keep at it to get the voices of the thousands of small/medium food producers heard. 📃 Over the next few days, we'll be compiling the results of what we've heard and submitting an official response to the Competition Bureau of Canada. You can submit your thoughts to the Bureau directly here until July 31, 2026: https://champ.ly/NylxiPtk

🏛️ We've got one final Town Hall and it's open to ALL Canadian small/medium food businesses. 🍬 Join us as we go through questions being posed by the Competition Bureau of Canada on the examination of the food supply chain. Learn more and register here: https://champ.ly/vDJPJO97

The Competition Bureau is examining Canada’s food supply chain and on Friday, July 24, we’re holding a town hall for Canadian package food and beverage businesses to discuss it. AGENTS FROM THE COMPETITION BUREAU ARE ATTENDING, AND THEY WANT TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM YOU! We know what it costs to get on grocery shelves in this country. Listing fees, fines bigger than the order, unfair competition, deductions nobody agreed to. This town hall is for you to talk about these issues and more, so that we can compile a report to submit to the investigation. You don’t have to give your business name, or name a retail chain, and you don’t have to prepare data or bring the evidence. Just show up, stand with your peers, and talk about how the grocery supply chain has affected your business in your own words. This might be the only chance we get to have an audience with the people who have the power to do something about it. It’s 90 minutes, it’s free, and it starts at 9am PT / 12pm ET. Help other founders be heard and share this post with them. They don’t have to be a member of the SSFPA to attend. Register: https://lnkd.in/gz94JT6h

🤫 Psst... Have you heard? 🍁 If you're a Canadian food business with less than 25 full-time employees, you can get your very own FREE basic membership. Tell a friend, because we're strong together when we feed Canada. https://champ.ly/-ilRLwov

Real perspectives from Canadian Packaged Food and Beverage brands, and why you should be at the We Feed Canada Town Hall. On July 15 our founders met online for the first town hall on the Competition Bureau's national examination of the food supply chain, "Behind the Price Tag." The Bureau is asking who holds the power in Canadian food, and the SSFPA is putting the sector's answer on the record before the July 31 deadline. This was members telling the truth about what it takes to get their food to market. What came up, again and again: [CAPITAL] Lenders won't touch businesses under $5 million in revenue, and every founder named capital as the biggest barrier to growth. [SHELF SPACE] Big retailers control the shelf with exclusive deals and private-label lines that pay no listing fees, while a small supplier pays thousands per product, then watches the store copy what sells and set a cheaper house brand beside it. [THE SQUEEZE] Retailers push their own costs onto small suppliers, who can't pass them on. Mandatory data programs like Circana run about $50,000 a year, and 90 to 120 day payment terms leave the supplier carrying the cash-flow risk. [DISTRIBUTION] Moving product is built for scale. Small producers can't find affordable freight or a distributor willing to take a load their size. [PRICING GAMES] Constant price changes, shrinkflation, and inconsistent units hide the real cost of products, making it impossible for shoppers to judge value or see how smaller brands compare. The Bureau needs to hear these stories and understand our experience as a sector, and we've only scratched the surface. There's more to say, and you've waited a long time to be heard. The next virtual town hall is July 24 at 9am PT / 12pm ET. It's open to all Canadian packaged food and beverage founders (you do not have to be an SSFPA member) as well as SSFPA members. If you grow it, make it, or move it, our submission to the Bureau needs your voice. Come and be heard. Register: https://lnkd.in/gz94JT6h

Got questions about the Competition Bureau's food supply chain examination? We want to hear it and three town halls built specifically for where you sit in the industry. 🎤 Come ask questions, compare notes with other members, and help us shape what SSFPA submits on your behalf. 🗓️ TOMORROW July 15 — For Founders — 9am PT / 12pm ET 🗓️ July 16 — For Shared-Use Facilities & Co-Packers — 9am PT / 12pm ET 🗓️ July 24 — For Growers & Primary Processors — 9am PT / 12pm ET Pick the one that fits your business best (or come to more than one — no judgment here). 👉 https://champ.ly/0CDjY_OI

📢 The Competition Bureau is asking Canada's food industry: what's actually making it hard to compete? We think small and medium processors know the answer better than anyone — so let's make sure Ottawa hears it from us, not just the big players. ✅ Take the survey → tell us what's really standing in your way, from licensing headaches to shelf space fights to who controls pricing in your region. ✅ Join a town hall → ask questions, hear what other members are dealing with, and help shape what we submit on your behalf. 🗓️ July 15 — For Founders 🗓️ July 16 — For Shared-Use Facilities & Co-Packers 🗓️ July 24 — For Growers & Primary Processors Survey deadline: July 17. Don't sit this one out. Register for a townhall and/or take the survey 👉 https://champ.ly/uQCgX3x4