Food and Beverage

1,400 farms and 130 food manufacturers

Waterloo’s diverse food processing sector includes nearly 1,400 farms and more than 130 regional food manufacturers. Our strengths include crop and animal production, snack food, confectionary, bakery, beverage manufacturing and distribution. 

This community includes global brands like PepsiCo and homegrown companies like Conestoga Meat Packers, Dare Foods, Piller’s Fine Foods and Weston Foods.

Access to 150+ million consumers within a one day drive

Our community is part of the Toronto-Waterloo-Guelph Corridor, the largest food manufacturing area in Ontario and third-largest in North America. Our community is just 105km/65mi from Canada’s largest consumer market (Toronto), with a total of 150 million consumers within a one day drive (1200km/745mi).

Leading food and manufacturing research

Waterloo is home to more than 150 leading research institutions and innovation hubs, including food-related centres like Conestoga College's Institute of Food Processing Technology and the SMART Centre at Conestoga College, as well as the University of Waterloo’s RoboHub.

The Ontario Agriculture College at the University of Guelph is Canada’s largest and most renowned agricultural college and is home to the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, the Arrell Food Institute and more.