Contest open to food entrepreneurs

Toronto – Calling all budding food processors with an idea for a new product: here’s a contest for you.

Coming up on Oct. 16, 2012, Enterprise Toronto is holding its Toronto’s Next Great Food Product Contest.

The contest is taking place during Enterprise Toronto’s annual Small Business Forum. It’s open to Toronto entrepreneurs with an idea for a commercial food or non-alcoholic beverage product.

Candidates are asked to submit the application form and/or a business plan, which are due by Sept. 17, 2012.

A small business selection committee will choose the top five candidates, who will be notified by Oct. 5, 2012. Those five candidates will each get 15 minutes to pitch their product to a panel of food industry experts at the Business Forum.

Celebrity judges

The panel will include celebrity chef Christine Cushing; John Mastroianni, manager at Pusateri Fine Foods; and Dufflet Rosenberg, founder and CEO of Dufflet Pastries. The panelists will select a winner who will be announced at the forum.

The winner will receive six hours of business and industry consultations to refine his or her business plan and get his or her product ready to launch.

The winner will also receive display space at the Canadian Restaurant and Food Association Trade Show in March 2013 and access to a commercial food kitchen at a reduced rate to prepare samples for the trade show.

Enterprise Toronto says candidates who meet the following criteria can apply:

• Recently started businesses (under 1 year) or individuals ready to launch a food business in the next six months;
• Majority business owners (no franchisees);
• Residents of Toronto or those with a Toronto business address;
• Entrepreneurs with a prototype food or non-alcoholic beverage product they wish to commercialize that is not already in the market for commercial sale;
• Entrepreneurs with a Food Handler Certificate or willingness to be certified; and
• Entrepreneurs willing to work with industry and small business professionals to get their product ready for market by March of 2013.

For more information, visit: http://torontosfoodproductcontest.eventbrite.ca/