Agrifoods

Richmond’s agrifoods sector spans the entire value chain from farming to retail. With an ecosystem in the Fraser River delta that creates rich, peat-based soil, Richmond is ideal for the production of various crops; most notably cranberries and blueberries. 

Home of the Steveston Harbour Authority and Canada’s largest small craft commercial fishing harbour, a variety of seafood products are prepared for regional and international distribution. Several food processors have made Richmond their home to take advantage of local manufacturing expertise and supply chain capabilities that include food grade packaging, cold storage, refrigerated trucking, sophisticated distribution networks and dedicated fresh cargo flights to Asia and other global markets.

British Columbia’s agrifoods sector is well-positioned for growth and investment and is supported by a robust network of programs geared towards helping companies with financing, business development, innovation, trade and marketing. A complete list of sector supports can be found at Trade and Invest BC. Featured programs are listed below under Incentives.

What’s New

Government of Canada invests $5 million to boost plant-based food production

$7-million donation from Dan On Foundation seeds the future of food innovation at UBC

New crab processing facility opens at Steveston Harbour

Richmond-based Asian supermarket expands to California

Local lawyers open distillery in Richmond

Richmond’s first cloud kitchen makes running a restaurant more affordable

How Dan-D Foods founder went from Vietnam refugee to Canada’s ‘Cashew King’

Richmond business offers three scholarships to Canadian students

Company Profiles

 

	Nature’s Path Headquartered in Richmond, Nature’s Path is an independent, family-owned business with 400 employees across Canada and the United States. It is the number one organic cereal manufacturer in North America, distributing their products to over 42 countries.The company’s brand holdings include Love Crunch, Qi’a, Que Pasa, Flax Plus and EnviroKidz. In 2021, Nature’s Path acquired Anita’s Organic Mill, one of Canada’s most respected millers and manufacturers of organic flour.
	Intercity Packers Ltd. In 2019 Albion Farms & Fisheries in Western Canada and Intercity Packers in Eastern Canada amalgamated to operate under the same name. Intercity Packers Ltd. currently employees over 230 employees in the Richmond office, and is the leading supplier of premium quality meat and seafood products to consumers across Canada.
	Ocean Spray Canada Ltd. Ocean Spray is a farmer-owned cooperative and the world’s largest cranberry processor and marketer. It is owned by 700 cranberry growers across Canada, United States and Chile. The company expanded its Richmond facility in 2012 by moving into a new $26 million processing facility and increasing its receiving capacity by 50% to 100 million pounds per year.
	Richberry Group. The Richberry Group is Canada’s largest cranberry producer and one of the largest shareholders and suppliers of Ocean Spray Cranberries. They have two farms in East Richmond, Richberry Farms Ltd and BK Ranch LP, occupying 238-acres in cranberry production.
	Maybog Farms Ltd. Maybog Farms is a family-owned cranberry farm that has been based in Richmond since it began in the 1960s. It has 350 acres and hires up to 40 seasonal workers.
	Cal-San Enterprises Ltd. With over 10 years invested in research and development, CAL-SAN has established itself as the leader in new use applications for blueberries and cranberries with new and innovative dehydration processes. It is also using the new technology to dehydrate fruits with high antioxidant retention for use by the pharmaceutical industry.
	Rabbit River Farms The first certified organic and SPCA (Humane) egg producer in Canada, Rabbit River Farms is a family run operation which distributes their chicken, duck, quail, and heritage eggs in over 360 stores and restaurants in Western Canada. Local BC company, Golden Valley Foods, handle the grading, packing and sales aspect of their products.
	Lulu Island Winery Using grapes from the Okanagan and berries from the Fraser Valley, Lulu Island Winery is a family-owned winery that produces a wide array of table wines, fruit wines and ice wines. It is the largest winery in Richmond operating out of a  custom-built 25,000 square foot facility which features multiple tasting rooms. The company is a major exporter to Japan, Korea and China.
	Richmond Country Farms Family-owned and operated for over 40 years in the vibrant agricultural heritage of Richmond. Richmond Country Farms is one of the very first farm-to-table markets offering a variety of mixed vegetables and have added farm tours and activities over the years.
	Prickly Pear Garden Centre Located in the historic fishing village of Steveston, Richmond, Prickly Pear was established in 1995 and is locally owned by long-time Richmond residents. Operated by passionate plant people, their indoor and outdoor shop carries a variety of plants for all seasons from hanging baskets to pumpkins and Christmas trees.
	Ocean Brands Ocean Brands provides high quality seafood products to countries across North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific. They source wild salmon from MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified fisheries based in Canada and Alaska and procures tuna from regions that are fished at sustainable levels. In 2011 Ocean Brands joined the Jim Pattison Group and is the leading supplier of canned salmon and tuna in Canada under the Gold Seal® and Ocean’s® brand.
	Blundell Seafoods Blundell Seafoods Ltd. was established in Richmond in 1975, and is a major wholesaler of seafood products to the Greater Vancouver and Whistler/Squamish markets. Its facility can accommodate 4 million pounds of fresh and frozen seafood products and includes a 100-foot dock that allows products to be unloaded directly from fishing boats.
	Tri-Star Seafood Supply Ltd. A Richmond-based international supplier of live, fresh and frozen seafood products sourced primarily from Western Canada and the U.S. Over 80% of products are exported across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia. The Tri-Star Seafood processing plant has live tanking storage capacity for over 50,000 pounds of product.
	Donald’s Fine Foods A specialty meat processing and distribution company that serves customers across Western Canada and internationally. They currently hire over 50 employees, operating in their custom-built 47,000 sq. ft. facility with over 5 million pounds of freezer capacity and over 1 million pounds of cooler capacity.
	Premium Brands Headquartered in Richmond, Premium Brands owns a broad range of leading specialty food manufacturing and differentiated food distribution businesses with operations across Canada and the United States. In 2021, Premium Brands and coalitions of the Mi’kmaq First Nations acquired Clearwater Seafoods Inc.
	Centennial Foodservice is a manufacturer and distributor focused on beef, pork, veal, lamb, poultry and seafood with 9 locations across Western Canada. Its Richmond-based facility is 31,000 square feet and employs 80 staff. In 2013 the company spawned C2C Premium Seafood, a Richmond based subsidiary which processes and distributes fresh seafood for sushi and sashimi.
	Sun Rich Foods Canada Inc. North America’s leading provider of high-quality fresh-cut fruit products for foodservice and retail. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Richmond, operating advanced Fresh Facilities in Richmond and Toronto to distribute across North America.
	Gardein Protein International Inc. A leader in plant-based foods that are high in protein and fiber. GPI makes a branded line of premium plant-based foods marketed under the gardein(TM) brand across Canada and the U.S., which are sold in grocery and specialty food stores. GPI provides private label plant-based protein products to retailers, universities and food service organizations across Canada, the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
	GEA Refrigeration Canada Inc. Part of the GEA Group, GEA Refrigeration Canada manufactures industrial grade freezers and chillers for the food processing market globally. The company employs 130 employees in an over 100,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility. They draw on local expertise in engineering, finance and control, manufacturing trades, human resources and research and development.
	Fine Choice Foods is a Canadian-owned, family run business established in 1988 producing Asian foods such as spring rolls and gyoza distributed through food retailers in the North American market. In 2022, they invested in a second 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art CFIA federally approved food processing facility.
	Icicle Technologies enables food companies to digitize, automate and ultimately simplify their operations. The technology consolidates food-safety, batch-processing, quality-assurance, vendor-management, traceability, and inventory control business processes into a single, unified digital platform.
	FPS Food Process Solutions is a global leader in turn-key food freezing and cooling equipment, providing innovative systems to ensure the highest efficiencies and to meet the most stringent sanitary demands. Based in Richmond, BC, the company has a combined 140,000 sq. ft of space including a headquarters and 3 manufacturing facilities.

Search our Business Directory for a complete listing of all companies involved in food production, processing or distribution in Richmond.

Workforce & Research

Workforce

Agrifoods jobs span a broad range of skills and abilities. Scientists, technicians, analysts, brokers, architects, designers and engineers are just some of the highly trained professionals employed in this sector. More traditional functions such as farm owners and managers, as well as processing plant operators continue to be in great demand. Many education and training programs are available locally through the University of the Fraser Valley, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and the University of British Columbia.

• Kwantlen Polytechnic University – School of Horticulture
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Farm School Programs
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Sustainable Agriculture
• UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems 
• University of the Fraser Valley
• BCIT – Food Technology & Operations Management

Research

• Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH)
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Institute for Sustainable Food Systems  (ISFS)
• UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems
• UBC Farm
• UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Food Research and Development Centre’s Industrial Program
• BCIT Food Processing Resource Centre
• BCIT Natural Health and Food Products Research Group (NRG)

Incentives

Government programs and incentives help agrifoods companies with production, marketing, exporting, innovation and financing. Here are some of the most popular programs. Contact us for a direct referral to any of the programs.

Agritech Concierge program provides contacts with a team of skilled professionals to support agritech businesses grow, diversify, access new markets and attract investment opportunities.

AgriService BC is your one-stop shop to search for funding, tools and services to help your agrifoods business succeed in B.C.

Advance Payments Program (APP) provides producers with a cash advance on the value of their agricultural products.

AgriAssurance Program supports industry and businesses to develop quality assurance systems to address market and regulatory requirements.

AgriCompetitiveness makes investments to help farmers and producers adapt to market changes.

Agri-Food Trade Service provides centralized access to market information, trade counselling and export support activities.

AgriMarketing helps grow Canadian products in international markets by supporting industry- and business-led promotional activities.

Agri-Invest helps farming businesses manage small income declines, and provides support for investments to mitigate risks or improve market income.

AgriStability provides payments when a farmer’s margin falls below 70% of an established reference margin.

BC Agrifood & Seafood Export Program provides cost-shared funding to increase export sales and expand international markets.

BC Buy Local Program provides marketing funding and support to help promote B.C. agrifoods products. Projects can include in-store promotions, social media or web campaigns, traditional advertising or other ideas.

Bioenterprise BC provides mentorship and business advisory services for agrifoods companies developing innovative products or processes.

Feeding Growth supports progressive, BC-based food brands and entrepreneurs through community engagement and education activities.

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC distributes federal and provincial funds in support of innovative projects to benefit the agri-food industry in B.C. Past projects have ranged from conducting research on blueberry diseases, nursery marketing, agritourism and local agricultural planning.

Mitacs builds research partnerships with universities to help solve business and industry challenges. Matching funding is available.

On-Farm Food Safety & Traceability Program offers cost shared funding for food safety traceability assessments, training and implementation of food safety practices.

Post-Farm Food Safety & Traceability Program provides cost-shared funding up to $35,000 to eligible B.C. food and beverage manufacturing facilities to improve their food safety and traceability practices.

Richmond Farm Incubator includes six acres of land granted by the City of Richmond to be used by Kwlantlen’s Richmond Farm School graduates as incubator farm sites for their own start-up agricultural businesses. 

Agrifood Business Management provides resources for B.C. farmers to start a new farm, to expand existing farm business, and to learn and implement best practices for agricultural business growth.

Statistics Canada Farm and Farm Operator Data provides accessible farm data in a dynamic web-based product that allows everyone to build customized tables to suit their needs and interests. 

Young Agrarians – online business tools for farmers in the areas of finances, marketing, operations, business planning , production & operations.

 

Use our Funding Portal to search a database of all grants, loans and financing available to agrifoods companies.

Industry Networks

 

Featured Industry Partner: Urban Bounty

Engaging a resilient local food system through education, advocacy, and community-building initiatives! Learn more

Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia BC Cranberry Growers Association BC Cranberry Marketing Commission BC Food and Beverage Small Scale Food Processors Association BC Blueberry Council BC Agriculture Council Feeding Growth

Urban Bounty Food Resilience Alliance BC Landscape and Nursery Association Ocean Wise Fish Safe BC BC Seafood Alliance Steveston Farmers’ Market BC Association of Farmers’ Markets Young Agrarians The Sharing Farm Society