Open Flower Network: Starting up & scaling 2024 Season reflection Dec 2, 2024 At the end of the flower growing season, it can be tempting to immediately think ahead to next year—or to take a much needed break! But this is the ideal time to spend a moment looking...
Eat Local, Grow Local, Give Local in Waterloo Region We’re excited to announce the launch of waterlooregionfood.ca. This new, free online directory lets Waterloo Region residents explore the many farms, markets, and community food organizations that make up...
Specialty Cut Flower Farming in Canada Canada’s specialty cut flower sector is booming, led by women and gender diverse farmers. Our research indicates that this set of relatively small-scale, new farmers boasts gross sales that account for as much as one-quarter of...
How community food enterprises fight inequality Community food enterprises (CFEs) are part of a movement to address systemic issues in the food system in a way that is dignified and redistributive. At Open Food Network, we’ve seen the regenerative power of quality...
Community Food Enterprises: Local Businesses for Social Good Have you ever heard of Community Food Enterprises? The term community food enterprises (CFEs) encompasses a diverse range of locally-owned and locally-controlled food businesses that are focused on making a...
Interoperability in the Digital Farmgate Sector, Part 2: Field research report Data interoperability is a technical way of describing the ability for several IT systems or platforms to communicate with each other and use information exchanged. It’s what lets you...
For Immediate Release WATERLOO, ON – Local Food Week is a chance to celebrate and strengthen the connection between farmers and local consumers. With funding support from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the non-profit software...
Passing the Torch, Part 2: Introducing David as Executive Director We recently announced the exciting news that David Thomas, our former Operations Manager, has stepped into the role of Executive Director. Our outgoing director, Theresa Schumilas, offered some...
Passing the Torch, Part 1: Theresa’s Retirement as Executive Director We’ve got some bittersweet news to share this month. Nearly ten years after launching Open Food Network Canada, our inaugural Executive Director, Theresa Schumilas, is passing on the torch. David...
Creating solutions for and with community food initiatives Last month we wrapped up an important planning initiative. Our goal: to reimagine our organization’s mission in the aftermath of the pandemic, and develop new community programming and software solutions to...
