Start-up Seminars
Upcoming Webinar Schedule
Starting a Food Business & Regulatory Compliance
This session is for founders who are exploring a food or beverage business or preparing to launch their first product.
In this free 60-minute online webinar, you’ll learn:
- Validate your business model and customer opportunity
- Define your value proposition and competitive advantage
- Understand the regulatory requirements for launching a food business
- Avoid common startup mistakes that cost founders time and money
Every successful food brand starts with more than a great recipe. It starts with a strong business model, understanding your customer, and knowing the rules of the industry.
Whether you’re developing your first product, launching a packaged food brand, or planning to manufacture commercially, this session will provide the foundation you need to move from idea to execution.
You’ll gain practical guidance on:
- Business model development
- Market validation and competitive research
- Food safety regulations
- Municipal licensing, zoning and permits
- Fire Code and Building Code considerations
- Provincial and federal regulatory compliance
Leave with the confidence to launch your business on the right foundation while avoiding costly compliance mistakes that can delay growth.
Next Session: Thursday, October 29, 2026 – 10:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
How to Sell Your Food Product
This session is for founders ready to turn great products into consistent sales.
In this free 60-minute online webinar, you’ll learn:
- Position your product for the right customer
- Build a pricing strategy that supports growth
- Increase sales across farmers’ markets,
- online and retail
- Understand what retailers and consumers are really buying
Creating a great product is only the beginning. Sustainable food businesses are built by founders who understand customer demand, product positioning and repeat purchasing.
Join Nicole Haney, former Founder & CEO of Boho Bars, as she shares the lessons learned growing a national food brand and the strategies that helped move products off the shelf.
You’ll discover how to:
- Build a compelling brand story
- Create customer demand
- Improve sales conversations
- Understand buyer expectations
- Develop repeat customers and loyal fans
Whether you’re selling direct-to-consumer or preparing to pitch retailers, you’ll leave with practical strategies to accelerate sales.
Next Session: Thursday, November 5, 2026 – 10:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
Costing, Pricing & Unit Economics
This session is for founders who want to build profitable food businesses—not just sell products.
In this free 60-minute online webinar, you’ll learn:
- Calculate your true Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
- Understand unit economics and gross margins
- Build pricing that supports sustainable growth
- Improve cash flow and profitability
Revenue is exciting—but profit keeps your business alive.
Successful food founders understand their numbers. They know exactly what it costs to produce every unit, how much profit each sale generates, and how pricing decisions impact long-term growth.
This practical session will cover:
- Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
- Gross margin analysis
- Unit economics
- Cash flow fundamentals
- Break-even analysis
- Financial forecasting
- Pricing strategies for wholesale and retail
Participants will receive a comprehensive Excel financial forecasting tool with completed examples to help build cash flow projections, pricing models and profitability forecasts.
Leave with the confidence to price strategically and make financial decisions that support sustainable growth.
Next Session: Thursday, November 12, 2026 – 10:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
Branding & Marketing Your Food Product
This session is for founders ready to build a brand customers remember—and retailers want to carry.
In this free 60-minute online webinar, you’ll learn:
- Build a brand that stands out in a crowded marketplace
- Connect with your ideal customer
- Develop marketing strategies that actually generate sales
- Create a brand that grows with your business
Consumers don’t buy products—they buy brands they trust.
Your packaging, messaging, digital presence and customer experience all influence purchasing decisions long before someone tastes your product.
Join Amanda DeVries, Founder of Eye Candy Design, as she shares how successful food brands are built—from startup through scale.
You’ll learn:
- Brand positioning
- Target customer development
- Visual identity
- Packaging design
- Digital marketing fundamentals
- Building trust through storytelling
You’ll also discover why understanding exactly who your product is for is one of the biggest drivers of long-term success.
Leave knowing how to build a memorable brand that drives awareness, loyalty and sales.
Next Session: Thursday, November 19, 2026 – 10:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
Food Safety Fundamentals for Founders
This session is for founders who want to build food safety into their business from day one.
In this free 60-minute online webinar, you’ll learn:
- Food safety fundamentals every food business needs
- Practical production best practices
- How food safety supports retailer readiness and consumer trust
- Common startup mistakes to avoid
Food safety isn’t just about regulatory compliance—it’s a competitive advantage.
Whether you’re producing yourself or working with a commercial kitchen or co-packer, understanding food safety expectations helps protect your customers, strengthen your brand and prepare your business for growth.
Join Lisa Cove, Founder of Shelf Ready Inc., as she simplifies food safety into practical, actionable steps every founder can implement.
You’ll leave understanding:
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
- Food safety fundamentals
- Risk reduction
- Documentation basics
- Preparing for future certifications
Build the systems that allow your business to grow confidently while earning customer and retailer trust.
Next Session: Thursday, November 26, 2026 – 10:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
Labelling & Packaging Your Food Product
This session is for founders preparing products for retail shelves, online sales or wholesale distribution.
In this free 60-minute online webinar, you’ll learn:
- Packaging that protects and sells your product
- Canadian food labelling requirements
- Common compliance mistakes to avoid
- How packaging influences customer purchasing decisions
Your package is often your first salesperson.
It has just seconds to capture attention, communicate your brand and meet regulatory requirements—all while protecting product quality.
Join Nicole Haney, former Founder & CEO of Boho Bars, as she shares practical lessons from bringing packaged food products to market.
You’ll learn about:
- Packaging selection
- Mandatory labelling requirements
- Shelf appeal
- Consumer communication
- Retail expectations
- Common packaging and labelling pitfalls
Leave with a clearer understanding of how great packaging combines compliance, functionality and marketing to help increase sales and build consumer confidence.
Next Session: Thursday, December 3, 2026 – 10:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
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