2026 Edition

London agri-food sector eyes growth amid trade uncertainty, summit hears

Last year, the company – which makes pea chips inspired by Socca, a traditional flatbread from the south of France – hit $1 million in sales.

Courarie-Delage said the milestone would not have been possible without the extensive support network he and business partner Aaron Johnstone found in London, where food manufacturing is becoming an ever-growing sector of the local economy.

Part of that support included securing space at The Grove, the food incubator at Western Fair, where Peacasa still operates.

“There’s not been another place I’ve found in Ontario that would be better than London, and we’ve done our research,” Courarie-Delage said. “I’m sure there are other places investing as well (in the food sector), but we have really enjoyed it here and have had a ton of support to help us get to where we are today.”

Peacasa was one of dozens of businesses taking part Tuesday in the second edition of the Southwest Food Summit, sharing its experience growing from a a small operation into a company whose products are sold in more than 700 stores – a list that will soon include Walmart and Costco.

The event, which drew more than 250 attendees, was organized by partners including the London Economic Development Corporation and the London Small Business Centre.

The summit aims to connect entrepreneurs with businesses, professional development opportunities and resources to help them scale their operations while growing London’s food manufacturing sector, said Kapil Lakhotia, executive director of the London Economic Development Corporation.

“Over the last several years, we’ve had a very strong track record of attracting global multinationals, companies like Maple Leaf, Andriani Pasta and Dr. Oetker,” he said.

“At the same time, we have to also keep an eye on developing our own organic growth pipeline of small and medium-sized businesses that are coming up the chain.”

Lakhotia said the London-area food sector now includes more than 150 businesses employing more than 10,000 people.

“We want a well-rounded food and beverage processing ecosystem.”

This year’s keynote speaker was Emily O’Brien, founder of popcorn company Comeback Snacks, which she launched after serving a sentence for drug trafficking and which now aims to provide second chances to people with criminal records.

The summit also featured a panel of experts who discussed alternative ways companies can bring products to market, including expanding beyond traditional grocery and restaurant sales into online retailers such as Amazon and institutional buyers such as hospitals and colleges.

Building those support networks is becoming increasingly important as businesses navigate uncertainty tied to the Canada-U.S. trade war and the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, known as CUSMA.

“Our job here is to help companies that are in the small and medium-sized space that may not have their own resources or bandwidth to explore new markets to help them connect with export channels outside of North America,” Lakhotia said.

“As we know, our relationship with the U.S. is evolving, and we don’t know the future of that relationship, so with that spirit in mind, we’re helping companies open doors outside of North America.”

That message was echoed by Steve Pellarin, executive director of the London Small Business Centre.

He said current market conditions are forcing businesses to rethink their growth strategies.

“Many businesses would get their start here in Southern Ontario, and then they would immediately turn to the U.S. market; they wouldn’t even consider expanding nationally,” Pellarin said.

“But when the tariffs began, we had a number of businesses that were in the process of trying to enter the U.S. market, and immediately then had to pivot.

“That’s why it’s important for us to start bringing people together, people who have already followed that path, done that path, so they can be mentors to help the new entrepreneurs do that.”

Peacasa is in that boat as well.

Courarie-Delage said the company had been planning a U.S. expansion last year, but those plans are now on hold until there is more certainty around trade conditions.

“It’s mostly a question of not knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he said. “We still have quite a bit of room to grow in Canada, so we’ve decided to spend more of our attention here.”