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Canadian food-tech start-up Relocalize has closed a CAD 5.8 million (approx. $4.26 million) seed funding round to expand its autonomous micro-factory platform. The funding round was led by Desjardins Capital with ongoing support from initial seed investors, including i4 Capital, Waterpoint Lane, and RGS Ice. Based in Quebec, Relocalize reduces greenhouse gas emissions and costs by installing micro-factories at grocery distribution centres for local food and beverage production. By decentralising production, Relocalize eliminates middle-mile transportation entirely and mitigates supply chain risks. The investment will speed up the development and deployment of Relocalize's technology platform and establish full-scale micro-factories in Canada and the US. The company intends to double its engineering team in the coming months to meet high demand from retailers in the packaged ice market segment. D. Wayne McIntyre, CEO of Relocalize, said: "Bringing on a capital partner like Desjardins Capital at the seed stage gives our vision for a truck-free future for manufactured foods a huge boost. We'll be moving quickly to scale up deployments of our first-to-world micro-factories with grocery retailers." Nathalie Bernard, COO at Desjardins Capital, added: "Relocalize's vision is to provide solutions to reduce the environmental impact of food and beverage production and transportation. This investment is consistent with Desjardins Group's objective of achieving, by 2040, a net zero emissions balance sheet on its extended operations and on its equity financing and investment activities in three key carbon-intensive sectors: energy, transportation and real estate."