TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - Empire Company, the parent company of Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Farm Boy, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and Rachelle Béry, recently announced an innovative partnership with District Ventures, one of Canada’s leading companies dedicated to the food, beverage, and health CPG industries. Through the partnership, the national grocer has become the title sponsor of District Ventures’ Accelerator program and District Ventures Kitchen.

“Empire has a rich history of meaningfully investing in local growers and suppliers across Canada,” said Jana Sobey, Vice President of Merchandising, Thrifty Foods, Community, and Field for Sobeys Inc. “Supporting local is at the heart of everything we do, and we are incredibly proud to stand side-by-side with District Ventures as we continue to nurture the countless innovative food entrepreneurs in communities large and small right across our country.”

According to the press release, food entrepreneurs in the District Ventures Accelerator program will receive valuable support from Empire, including coaching from Local Development Managers and opportunities to bring their products to the grocer’s store shelves within a region or across Canada. The new partnership with District Ventures is a natural extension of Empire’s long-standing commitment to being the national grocer that Canadian families can count on for local food and well-being products.

“This exciting new partnership is enormous for entrepreneurs and companies in the food, beverage, and health industries,” said Arlene Dickinson, CEO of District Ventures. “Since 2015, we have been committed to supporting early-stage companies in these spaces. Empire’s sponsorship highlights the importance of this work and reinforces the fact that we need to support companies that both feed and nourish our communities and assist them in achieving their fullest potential.”

Recently, District Ventures acquired Food Starter, a 20,000-square-foot commercial kitchen, from the city of Toronto. Now operating as District Ventures Kitchen, the kitchen will provide local food and beverage entrepreneurs access to a broad array of equipment and programming to help build and grow their businesses, including production spaces, packaging facilities, and business advisory services. Both the District Ventures Kitchen and District Ventures Accelerator facilities will now include the Sobeys logo.

How will this new relationship shape future retail partnerships? Keep reading ANUK as we bring you more updates.

Empire Company