The Pitch & Plate event provides B.C. food and beverage brands with an opportunity to learn about and build skills for the institutional food service market channel, specifically post-secondary institutions and healthcare facilities, while also giving institutions the opportunity to learn about new and innovative food products.

Pitch and Plate is a Feed BC initiative, delivered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in collaboration with B.C. food industry educators, Good to Grow and B.C. public sector institutions.

Funding is provided in part by the governments of Canada and British Columbia though the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, and in part by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s Feed BC program.

UPCOMING EVENTS

2) February 7, 2024 – A hybrid in-person / online event in the Lower Mainland to highlight products from around the province ready to sell to B.C. post-secondary and healthcare institutions. All pitches are required to be in-person.

Applications Closed

PRODUCTS AND PRODUCT FEATURES OF INTEREST

Good to Grow worked closely with Advisory Groups made up of representatives from post-secondary institutions and healthcare authorities to inform us of the types of products and product features they are looking for as well as their procurement requirements.

We welcome all interested businesses to apply. Please note preference will be given to those that meet the identified products and/or product features below as well as the event selection criteria below.

The products and product features of interest are:

  • Applies to All Products:
    • Indigenous-Owned / Operated Businesses
    • Products in packaging that can be fully recycled or composted
  • Products and Product Features:
    • Proteins
      • Plant-Based (versatile products, large application, retherm, fresh cooking, frozen, clean ingredients, allergen-free)
      • Chicken (diced, breast, low sodium, halal, health needs IQF and no additional allergens)
      • Seafood (salmon, tuna, white fish, breaded & cooked, fully cooked, frozen, frozen diced, pouches over cans; 3-4oz filets)
      • Deli Meats (whole muscle slices or cuts, turkey, ham)
    • Bakery / Desserts / Confectionary
      • Gluten-free, plant-based, low-sugar, par-baked, frozen slabs/trays, individually pre-packaged, mixes, doughs, batters
      • Muffins, tortillas, cookies, cakes, pies, whole wheat dinner rolls, high fiber bread, chocolate chips, croissants, Danishes, loaves, ciabatta buns
      • Companies that can do both baked, par-baked, and batter as well as variety packs and are flexible with order size
    • Dairy
      • Yogurt (pureed fruit, smooth, lower sugar for Health, single serving, variety packs, individual 100g sizes, bulk, Greek yogurt, dessert and breakfast parfaits)
      • Cheese (portioned slices, whole-format/bulk, shredded, swiss, cheddar, variety of standard cheeses)
      • Cream cheese
      • Plant-based (butter, cheese, yogurt)
    • Eggs
      • Liquid eggs for scramble, egg whites, ready-to-eat hard boil, quiches, egg bakes, omelets
    • Soups
      • fresh with ability to freeze, smooth options, bulk and individual bags
    • Beverages
      • non “soda pop” drinks; non-alcoholic
    • Produce
      • pouches/bags over canned, fresh fruit cups or bulk fresh fruit cocktail with low sugar for Health, frozen vegetables, cooked potatoes, variety in pack size
      • Container grown / living greens / micro-greens
      • Partially processed products from local produce
    • Herbs / Spices
      • dried, must be processed in B.C. not just repacked
    • Ready-to-Eat products
      • Prepared meals, pre-made entrees, flexibility with individual packs and bulk
    • Grab-n-Go and Snack items
      • Retail and food service
      • Healthy snacks, vending options, protein bars, trail mix, jerky, pepperoni
    • Traditional Indigenous Foods Ingredients
      • Proteins (bison, buffalo, jerky, smoked duck breast, pulled duck, candied salmon, ocean cod, halibut, wild meats)
      • Herbs, rices, vegetables, seasonings, berries

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

  1. Review the list of “product or product feature of interest” above
  2. Apply for one or both events (same Application Form) by the application deadline. Please keep in mind you can only participate in one event.
  3. Each application will go through a three stage grading matrix to determine a short list of companies with products and product features that are best suited to each event and their requirements.
  4. The short list of companies will be evaluated by Good to Grow, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food with input from B.C. post-secondary institutions and health authority representatives to determine the final 10 companies for each event.
  5. Good to Grow will reach out to the final list for confirmation of their participation.

SELECTION CRITERIA

  • Products are produced and/or final products are processed within B.C.
  • Products are identified as a “product or product feature of interest” by B.C. institutions.
  • Business and product readiness for institutional food service market
  • October 25, 2023 event is only open to products from B.C.’s Okanagan region.
  • Preference may be given to businesses that have not participated in a previous Pitch & Plate.
  • Bonus points will be given to companies operating out of a BC Food Network Food Hub, Buy BC licensed products, and registration on the Feed BC Directory.

PARTICIPANT PREPARATION

To help prepare the participants for the Pitch events, Good to Grow will deliver several mandatory educational training sessions for each event:

  • Workshop: An online workshop to review the institutional food service market channel and its requirements, sales materials, preparing your pitch, and Pitch day logistics
  • One-on-One Coaching Sessions: Each participant will have two online one-on-one sessions with Good to Grow to review their sales materials and practice their pitch

PITCH EVENT

You will be pitching either in- person or online to a panel of post-secondary institutions, healthcare authorities, service, providers, and broadline distributors as follows:
● 5 minutes to present your business and products (samples to prepared live in on-site kitchen and/or shipped beforehand)
● 5 minutes to answer questions

COST OF PARTICIPATION

  • For the February 2024 hybrid event participants will be required to cover the cost of approximately 30 individually packaged samples, the cost of shipping those 30 samples to North Vancouver, any travel expenses for the in-person event in the Lower Mainland, as well as the cost of 50 prepared “bite-size” samples for the in-person event. Participants will choose one product for the shipped and in-person samples (same product) that is most in line with the interests of the institutions, however they can pitch their whole product line in the presentation.