The Food Professor

We're back after the break with a rousing discussion of what lies ahead for 2024, notable achievements, the relative state of food safety, and congratulations to several key food industry players for their accomplishments. Our guest, Aeryon Ashlie, CEO and Founder of Aeryon Wellness Support Supplements tells us about her life of fitness and wellness and the impact of changes in the natural supplem...

On this special encore episode of the pod, we present an interview worth a second, or perhaps your first, listen. Let's hear as Sylvain introduces the topic and our guests for one of our favourite and most essential discussions from late spring 2023.  Isaiah, Stephanie, and Tim share their perspectives on salmon farming in British Columbia. Stephanie explains what aquaculture is and why it should...

On this special encore episode of the pod, we present an interview worth a second, or perhaps your first, listen. Our special guest, who lives in San Diego, California, via Vancouver & Toronto, is Sam Zien, aka Sam the Cooking Guy, who shares his remarkable and inspiring journey to over 3.6 Million subscribers on YouTube, three restaurants and six cookbooks and a great line of merchandise now It i...

In the final live episode of The Food Professor podcast for 2023, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois discussed various Canadian food and beverage industry topics. While the interview with our guest Kristina Farrell, CEO of Food and Beverage Canada, was a significant part of the episode, the hosts delved into various other vital issues. A key topic of discussion was Canadians' New Year's...

In this podcast episode, our special guest, Pierre Petelle , the President and CEO of CropLife Canada, discusses the organization's role and impact in the agricultural industry. CropLife represents companies that produce vital seed technologies and crop protection products in agriculture and public health. Pierre emphasized the evolution of these products, highlighting gene editing as a significan...

Our special guest on this episode is Alex Green , Chief Experience and Marketing Officer, Longo's, recorded live in person at the Coffee Association of Canada's conference in Toronto.  Alex shares the rich history of Longo's brand and the customer-focused strategies they embrace to win in a hyper-competitive Southern Ontario grocery market. In the news,  get ready for an exclusive behind-the-scene...

Our special guest is Kelly Higginson, President & CEO of Restaurants Canada , and we dive into the challenges faced by the foodservice industry post-COVID, the role of technology, tipping and the road ahead for a $100Billion industry in Canada where now more than 50 percent of restaurants and foodservice businesses operating at a loss or barely breaking even. In the news, Sylvain presents a new re...

In this episode, we're joined by Vanessa Toperczer , Senior Vice President of IMI International , recorded at the Coffee Association of Canada's annual conference in Toronto. We discuss the importance of brand and brand leadership, plus research insights to fuel profit and growth. Michael talks about his time on the Canadian Grocer Magazine Connex stage, interviewing grocery leaders in Canada. Sho...

Our guest on this episode, recorded live at the Coffee Association of Canada's annual conference in Toronto, is  Rick Brown , President of Foodservice at  Circana, Canada. We start with news of worsening food insecurity in Canada, as reported by  Statistics Canada in their recent report.  Next, we take a virtual tour inside Metro's new high-tech billion-dollar distribution centre in Quebec before...

This episode, released one day later than usual, was recorded live at the Coffee Association of Canada's annual conference in Toronto. Our special guest,  Lisa Richardson , EVP & COO at  Canterbury Coffee , joins us to shed light on their deep expertise in coffee sourcing, roasting, food service and more, which sets them apart in a crowded market. Lisa discusses how Canterbury Coffee adapts to a c...

Our guest is Gordon Bacon , the CEO Emeritus at Pulse Canada. With over 20 years of leadership in the agricultural sector, advocating for farmers and producers, Gordon has a wealth of wisdom and insights to share. We'll dive into his journey, advocacy for the agricultural sector, and the importance of pulse crops in the industry.  Stay tuned for valuable advice for aspiring leaders in agriculture...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Food Professor podcast! In this episode, we've got an exceptional treat for you. Recorded live at SIAL 2023, our guest is none other than the game-changing innovator  B.K. Sethi, whose impact on Canadian food stores is nothing short of revolutionary. Before we dive into this exclusive conversation, a quick reminder: mark your calendars for the  Coffee Associati...

In this episode, we have the pleasure of hosting a true Canadian icon,  Ricardo  – a renowned chef, author, television personality, and entrepreneur. Notably, he's a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Ordre national du Québec for his contributions to the nation. Even after selling his business to Sobeys in 2021, Ricardo continues to be a media and food powerhouse, producing content at a prod...

Our exceptional guest on this episode is Kirstin Beardsley , CEO at Food Banks Canada, who discusses food insecurity in Canada and the great work done by food banks across Canada to help bridge the gap for an increasingly large and changing nature of the population. Sylvain and I discuss the horror and murder in Israel and the impacts on food or commodity prices. We talk about Sylvain's upcoming t...

In this episode, we are joined by the esteemed journalist Marie-Eve Fournier , known for her work with prominent Canadian publications like Lesaffaires, Rue Frontenac, Le Journal de Montréal, and Radio-Canada before joining La Presse in 2013. Marie-Eve has received several awards, including the prestigious Judith-Jasmin and Kenneth R. Wilson prizes. The conversation starts with a congratulatory no...

Welcome to the Food Professor Podcast, Season 4, Episode 2!  Our exceptional guest is Gregg Curwin , the President & CEO at Novagevity and their Sperri brand . He's an Ag Tech entrepreneur with a 20-year history of breakthrough thinking, and he's currently focused on the intersection of health, technology, and agriculture.  We dive right into the discussion: 1. Food Affordability Meetings with Min...

For our season debut episode, we decided to catch up on the top issues brewing over the summer, with kids back in school and plenty of topics to discuss.  Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne meetings with the big five in Ottawa certainly caught our attention. Sylvain was there and shed some light on how the meeting came about and the objectives and deliverables coming out of those meetin...

Get ready for another blockbuster season of Canada's top food industry and Canadian-produced management podcast, The Food Professor! I'm Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and author of eight books. And I'm Michael LeBlanc, senior retail advisor, keynote speaker, producer, and host of a series of retail industry trade podcasts, including this...

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay...

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay...

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay...

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay...

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay...

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay...

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay...