London Inc. March/April 2023 - 25

Enterprise
Stirring up business
Providing a crucial link for early stage food processors,
a commercial kitchen incubator at The Grove is helping
to foster food entrepreneurship by KIERAN DELAMONT
Providingacr
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IN 2018, THE Progress Building at the Western
Fair grounds seemed to be counting its days.
Gateway Casinos was pitching plans for a
massive redevelopment of the fairgrounds that
would see many of the buildings, including the
Progress Building, torn down.
But by the end the year those plans were
abandoned - and the Western Fair District board
of directors had to decide on its next move.
Its answer was to lean into what they were
known for. " Western Fair decided to rethink their
strategy, go back to their roots from 150 years
ago and really look at agriculture as the strategy
we should be focusing on, " says James Smith,
director of The Grove. " London is very much
supported by agriculture, and we were thinking,
'What could we do with this building?' "
The marquee announcement was The Grove at
Western Fair District, an agri-food accelerator
that Western Fair District president Reg Ash
envisioned " bringing new agriculture and food
businesses, products and technologies to market. "
The idea for an agri-food accelerator had
been around for a few years, Smith says, and the
decision to not demolish the Progress Building
created the opening.
In early 2021, as more public investment was
being directed towards the agri-food sector,
The Grove received a five-year, $7.2-million
investment from FedDev Ontario, with a target
of accelerating 20 companies over the five years.
" The project, from a federal development
point of view, is to create prosperity in the community
- it's to create jobs, " Smith says.
Around $5 million of the funds went into building
The Grove's facilities to industry standards,
Smith says, including installing specialized
equipment for liquid batch cooking, commercial
baking and tools for protein production. With
that in place, The Grove was able to bring its full
vision to life: an accelerator program supported
by a startup-focused incubator kitchen.
Launched in 2022, the incubator side of The
Grove offers a commercial kitchen geared for
MARCH / APRIL 2023 | londonincmagazine.ca | 25
James Smith,
director of agri-food
and The Grove at
Western Fair District
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London Inc. March/April 2023

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