The CFE iHub supports the creation of new businesses and collaborations that contribute to a circular food economy through the development of circular food solutions. Led by Innovation Guelph, it links multiple business support organizations in Guelph-Wellington, creating a “no wrong door” model to ensure easy access across the region.
CFE iHub Main Doors, include:
- 10C
- Business Centre Guelph-Wellington
- Innovation Guelph
- John F. Woods Centre, University of Guelph
- LaunchIt Minto
- Wellington-Waterloo Community Futures (WWCF)
Guelph-Wellington is working to become Canada’s first technology-enabled Circular Food Economy (CFE) by 2025, re-imagining an inclusive food-secure ecosystem that:
- increases access to affordable, nutritious food by 50%, where “waste” becomes a resource,
- creates 50 new circular businesses and collaborations, and
- increases circular economic revenues by 50%.
This program is part of Guelph-Wellington’s Our Food Future 10 point action plan to support social and economic recovery and is made possible by the collaboration of many community partners Program built in relation to Seeding Our Food Future is a micro-grant program for food systems companies.
- Two Connectors have been engaged to strengthen connections and share information among the Main Doors, across the broader network of Our Food Future collaborators and out into the community.
- To maintain a focus on rural-urban integration, the Connectors are based at WWCF in Elora and at Innovation Guelph/10C in Guelph, respectively.
- To foster and help coordinate innovation in the food system that enhances sustainability and activates circular, regenerative practices.
- Together with the other elements of Guelph-Wellington’s Our Food Future initiative, the CFE iHub will cultivate a rural-urban living lab where entrepreneurs, researchers, social innovators and community members generate and implement novel solutions to complex challenges within the food system.
