@oakbayseafood.com
BRITISH COLUMBIA – BC food-processing companies looking to scale up and feed more people are benefiting from a program that is helping them increase their businesses’ productivity and competitiveness by improving their facilities and equipment.
BC’s Food Processing Growth Fund is helping companies, such as T-Brothers in Coquitlam and Better Seafood Supply in Victoria, increase their productivity, strengthen competitiveness and gain new economic opportunities.
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Better Seafood Supply’s Gregg Best was accustomed to the fishing-boat life from a young age. Beginning in Duncan as Cowichan Bay Seafood in the 1980s, Better Seafood Supply was born of greater demand in the Victoria area. Since then, it has grown into its storefront Oak Bay Seafood and continued with its mission of providing the finest, sustainably caught seafood to customers, while ensuring fishers get a fair price for their catch.
With its funding, Better Seafood Supply plans to ramp up production of its smoking operations to prepare for the winter season. The new fund is also helping the business grow through the purchase of additional slicers, skinning machines, patty makers and a new vacuum-packaging machine, so more people can enjoy the taste of fresh BC seafood.
“Fishing is an integral part of British Columbia’s food landscape and consumers rely on fresh, local catch from its abundant waters,” said Gregg Best, founder of Better Seafood Supply. “With this funding, we will continue to deliver high quality, sustainable, trusted seafood that lives up to our values, as we improve production and packaging to ensure BC’s seafood is enjoyed by many more people.”
Founded in 1994, T-Brothers has been supplying authentic Korean staples to BC for almost 30 years. The company pioneered the sale and large-scale manufacturing of kimchi in Canada. Today, the Coquitlam-based manufacturer’s products are found in every corner of the country.
Kimchi, Korea’s national dish, is becoming popular beyond its traditional market. To meet growing consumer demand for their product, the company is investing in new equipment. The Province is supporting T-Brothers to purchase automatic washing and packaging machinery to increase efficiency and product output.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food announced the $20 million Food Processing Growth Fund in April 2023. It is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation (IAF).
Source: news.gov.bc.ca
