ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER MARKET DEVELOPMENT 29 Treena Hein Building demand for food-grade soybeans Protein Industries Canada funding boosts businesses Ontario soybean farmers, here’s some good news. Several large and exciting initiatives aimed at developing the food-grade soybean market are underway, funded in part by Protein Industries Canada (PIC), based in Saskatchewan. Let’s jump right in—but first, a note that PIC is one of Canada’s five Global Innovation Clusters and aims to grow Canada’s position as a global source of high-quality plant protein and plant-based co-products through collaborative projects. In late 2024, PIC announced a new food ingredient project with partners Marusan Ai Co., Earth’s Own Foods, Flamaglo Foods and Alinova Canada (a joint venture between Marusan and DJ Hendrick International (DJHII). In a previous PIC project, DJHII had assessed the feasibility of a soy powder processing plant in Eastern Canada, and now in this current project, that plant is rapidly being retrofitted. It’s a former grain handling facility located in Inkerman, Ontario. and owned by Alinova. Part of the retrofit involves constructing a tall tower with a spray dryer at the top, which dries soymilk condensate into powder. DJHII CEO David Hendrick says the powder ingredient can be used in protein drink mixes, soup mixes, creamer, and other products, and “we plan to start selling our powder by early 2026.” Earth’s Own and Flamaglo Foods are already testing small batches. Once the plant is operational, Alinova and Marusan will work to expand processing capacity fully and will look to Japan, in particular, as a target market. Almost $24 million has been committed to the project, with $6.7 million coming from PIC. NORTHERN-ADAPTED SOYBEANS: MORE CHOICE In June, PIC announced a project to develop non-GMO, earlymaturing soybean varieties adapted for northern Ontario and Manitoba. The partners are NRGene Canada, Pulse Genetics, Hensall Co-op, and Yumasoy Foods. PIC notes that over the past several years, the selection of seed for non-GMO soybeans has declined, making it more challenging for Canada to maintain or expand this premium export market. continued on page 30
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