THE FUTURE OF FOOD IS MADE IN CANADA: The Homegrown Innovation Challenge Launches $20M Scaling Phase Grant to Support Domestic Food Production

TORONTO, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It has never been more important for Canada to have a secure and sustainable supply of food. Building on its longstanding commitment to improving the well-being of Canadians, the Weston Family Foundation is investing in the people and ideas redefining how we grow our food—supporting agricultural solutions that will strengthen our national food system for generations to come.

Launched in 2022, the $33 million Homegrown Innovation Challenge has become a catalyst for Canadian ingenuity, championing sustainable agricultural innovations that reduce our reliance on imports and strengthen sustainable domestic production. With a focus on extending the growing season for berries, the Challenge is advancing systems that not only are built in Canada but also look to our country’s future.

This Challenge is driven by a bold vision: to develop a market-ready system that enables the year-round, sustainable, and cost-competitive production of berries at scale in Canada. Now entering its third and most ambitious phase—the Scaling Phase—that vision is closer than ever to becoming a reality.

Four teams (Scaling Phase grantees) from across Canada, chosen from an exceptional cohort of eleven teams from the previous round (Shepherd Phase grantees), will each receive up to $5 million in total over three years to bring their ideas to life. These teams are taking their solutions from concept to implementation by using the Scaling Phase as an opportunity to demonstrate and refine their growing systems under real-world conditions at farm scale.

This next phase will push the boundaries of controlled environment agriculture, driving advancements from automation of lighting to improved berry varieties for indoor production and microclimate management. Equally important, it will strengthen a growing national network of Canadian producers, researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs committed to transforming how and where we grow food.

“Over the next three years, Scaling Phase teams will need to demonstrate large-scale implementation of their systems and prove market readiness. And most importantly, the berries need to be tasty and nutritious,” says Garfield Mitchell, chair of the Weston Family Foundation. “This is an exciting time for academia, industry, and government to come together to accelerate innovative, homegrown solutions to hyper-local food production in Canada.”

With homegrown ingenuity at its core, the Challenge is helping shape a more resilient, self-sufficient food system. Follow the journey of the visionary Scaling Phase teams and discover how Canadian innovation is reshaping the future of food at homegrownchallenge.ca.

MEET THE SCALING PHASE TEAMS

Simon Fraser University, Jim Mattsson

Greenhouse production system to deliver “Made in Canada” off-season blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Building on their successful Shepherd Phase collaboration, Simon Fraser University and BeriTech Inc. are advancing a high-intensity, multi-berry production system designed to deliver delicious, nutritious fruit year-round. Their approach to maximizing yield combines greenhouse production with innovative techniques to manipulate plant physiology and carefully timed cropping cycles through intercropping blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Throughout the Scaling Phase, the team will work closely with leading growers and other partners to test and commercialize their system in multiple Canadian climatic regions.

Toronto Metropolitan University, Habiba Bougherara & Lesley G. Campbell

Controlled environment agriculture, elevated, with autonomous pollination technology. Toronto Metropolitan University is developing the “MoFarm”: a modular, vertical farming system for continuous, year-round raspberry production. Its multi-layered design can support multiple types of crops at various stages, maximizing yield and efficiency. One of the key features of this farm will be a patented pollination and air circulation system to achieve consistent autonomous pollination. This will surpass the challenges of incomplete bee pollination under short day lengths in greenhouses and artificial lighting in vertical farms.

Université Laval, Martine Dorais

VertBerry: a vertical, modular indoor bioponic system for cultivating transplants and berries. Université Laval is scaling a modular aeroponic platform for year-round berry production and to provide resilient, high-performance strawberry seedlings for indoor, greenhouse, and open-field growers. By integrating phenotyping and microbiome expertise, the team aims to increase their yield and significantly improve energy efficiency—plus grow healthier plants and tasty fruit—with no pesticide residues. VertBerry will combine precise rootzone control, energy-efficient HVAC and lighting, and waste-heat recovery. Scalable and adaptable, VertBerry offers a flexible, sustainable solution to strengthen Canada’s food system from seedling to harvest.

University of Guelph, Youbin Zheng

Autonomous, net-zero greenhouse strawberry production. The team at the University of Guelph and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is scaling a hybrid greenhouse-vertical farming system designed to maximize energy efficiency and eliminate fossil fuel use for heating and dehumidification. This innovative approach uses natural sunlight and smart lighting that automatically adjusts to electricity prices and recycles and reuses heat, reducing costs and carbon footprint. With an AI-driven Rootzone Management System (ARMS) and fully net-zero design, this system boosts yields up to six times more than conventional greenhouses.

ABOUT THE HOMEGROWN INNOVATION CHALLENGE

Delivered over six years, the $33 million Homegrown Innovation Challenge supports the development of tools and technologies to enable Canadian producers to grow berries out of season, sustainably and competitively. We believe that by accomplishing out-of-season berry production, we can also unlock solutions for myriad other fruits and vegetables.

ABOUT THE WESTON FAMILY FOUNDATION

At the Weston Family Foundation (formerly The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), more than 60 years of philanthropy has taught us that there is a relationship between healthy landscapes and healthy people. Which is why we champion world-class health research and innovation with the same passion that we support initiatives to protect and restore biodiversity on Canada’s unique landscapes. Our spark, shepherd, scale approach to research ensures the best ideas have the best chance of success. We take a collaborative approach to philanthropy, working alongside forward-thinking partners to advance Canada and create lasting impacts. We aspire to do more than provide funding; we want to enable others to find transformational ways to improve the well-being of Canadians.

Media contact:
Alana Simpson
Weston Family Foundation
alana.simpson@westonfoundation.ca
(647) 265-1847