Food Hub Project

A food hub offers food entrepreneurs and organizations access to shared-use commercial processing equipment and specialized services. It may be located in one centralized location or connected smaller specialized locations. There exists an interest in the Comox Valley in establishing such a facility.

The Feasibility Study was prepared by a consultant experienced with food hub planning and the economics of food systems, Urban Food Strategies in association with Greenchain Consulting and Sustainability Ventures. The objectives of the study were to :

1. Engage key players in identifying existing regional food and agriculture assets, related initiatives, and potential gaps.
2. Determine if there is sufficient potential market demand for a financially viable CVRD food hub.
3. Identify aquaculture and agriculture business needs and level of interest in participating in a food hub.
4. Based on key player input as well as best practice research, build and test a food hub model that is revenue-positive within five years.
5. Develop a business plan for the hub, including an operations plan, governance and management plan, marketing plan, financial plan and implementation plan.

Staff Report: Initiating the Comox Valley Food Hub Feasibility Study

A public forum was held on June 2, 2021 to review the preliminary results before recommendations were finalized.

Additional Information on food hubs in BC:

• BC Food Hub Network