Government of Canada Article

 

Government of Canada Supports B.C. Agricultural Innovation

January 17, 2017 – Delta, British Columbia – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, Carla Qualtrough, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food, Lawrence MacAulay, today announced a $1.1 million investment in Mazza Innovation to expand their plant extract production facility in Delta, British Columbia.

The investment is enabling Mazza to install innovative drying technology and expand its laboratory. This expansion will help Mazza to meet growing global demand for phytonutrients, which give plants their vibrant colors and are used as an ingredient for functional foods, dietary supplements, and beauty products.

This funding builds on a previous $300,000 federal investment the company received to develop a new method of extracting phytonutrients from plants using the most natural solvent possible: water.

Quick facts

  • Delta, British Columbia-based Mazza Innovation specializes in producing plant extracts using healthy and clean technologies.
  • This repayable investment is made under the Growing Forward 2 AgriInnovation Program, a five-year, $698-million initiative.
  • The earlier federal investment of $300,000 was made under the Research and Development stream of the same program, in 2013.

Quotes

“The Government of Canada is proud to support Mazza Innovation in developing and commercializing their innovative plant extraction technology. This is a solid example of the Government partnering with agri-based companies on innovations that add value to agricultural products, create good local jobs and bring economic prosperity to the agricultural sector and to our community of Delta.”

– Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, Carla Qualtrough

“Mazza Innovation is pleased to receive the support of the Government of Canada to assist in accelerating the commercial development of our Canadian-invented environmentally friendly botanical extraction technology. This investment will help us meet demand from personal care, food supplement and food manufacturing companies worldwide.”

– Benjamin Lightburn, President, Mazza Innovation Ltd.