News

Food Centre launches a new business development program for women entrepreneurs in the food processing industry

Dec 04, 2019

The goal of the AWESOME’s Program is to Advance Women Entrepreneurs through Skill-development, Opportunity-identification, Manufacturing-advice and Export-marketing. To advance your development, growth and expansion, this program offers customized business services. We provide growth and development consulting, skill development training, coaching, networking and other related services that will advance your business.

The Program is available to women entrepreneurs located in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. AWESOME is offered as an initiative of the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc. (Food Centre), with funding provided by The Government of Canada through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) Eco-System Fund.

AWESOME Program will help you through the steps of Developing Your Idea, Planning Your Business and Taking Action.  Take a look at our program highlights:

• Skill Development
  Customized programming will be offered to address the essential skills that are needed to start and grow a successful food processing business. Skills training, offered in each of the three Prairie provinces, will cover the topics of Food Safety, Regulatory Requirements, Labeling and Packaging, Human Resources, Marketing, Exporting, Financial Management and other relevant topics.
• Mentoring and Networking
  Aspiring women entrepreneur will be given the opportunity to learn from successful business owners with like-minded interests and experiences. Networking events will be held to provide opportunities for women to make meaningful connections with business owners in the food industry. Where possible, AWESMOME will match new entrants to the Food Processing Sector with mentors who can provide valuable guidance and advice as women entrepreneurs work to develop their food business enterprises.

• Business Development Advice and Coaching
  Women entrepreneurs will have access to business advisory services designed to address issues such as: business planning; strategic planning; domestic marketing; exporting and other important business development issues. Technical assistance during product development will be available to program clients on a fee-for-service basis by contracting the provincial Food Centres that are partners in the planning and implementation of the AWESOME program.

All this and more! The program will be offered to women entrepreneurs in the Food Processing Industry and who are interested in the development, expansion and/or marketing of a food product. Specific groups of women who are underrepresented in the food processing sector will be targeted. Women working with food processing ventures in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta will be eligible to participate.

For more information, contact Muriel Garven, interim Program Manager at awesome@foodcentre.sk.ca or visit www.BeAwesome.ca for more information on this program for women entrepreneurs.