U of G researchers are bringing food science innovations to the table
Innovative baking mixes developed through University of Guelph food science and business expertise are the focus of a new start-up food company founded by a U of G researcher.
BioFerm Functional Foods Inc. led by Dr. Shawn Shao recently developed its newest product line, Treetly, which provides healthy, convenient and tasty baking mixes. Treetly was a contender in the 2021 Gryphon’s LAAIR (Leading to the Accelerated Adoption of Innovative Research) showcase and pitch competition at the University.
“My business idea was the product of frustration for the lack of delicious and healthy baking mixes on the market,” said Shao, a research associate researcher in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics.
His family has a history of diabetes, and he was longing for convenient baking mixes with low sugar and high fibre content.
Although healthy baking mixes already exist, Shao said, they aren’t the tastiest.
“I decided to take matters into my own hands and design a prototype of my own, an innovation that might catch on with others.”
Dr. Lisa Duizer, chair of the Department of Food Science and a world-renowned sensory scientist, helped Shao develop his baking mixes.
“Having the opportunity to be involved with this start-up was very exciting,” said Duizer, who has helped other students and alumni develop foods and conducted her own research to improve the diets of older adults with swallowing difficulties by making pureed foods more palatable. “My research aligns very well with BioFerm.”
Treetly has been developed with taste, consumer effort, cost, nutrient content and the environment in mind, said Shao.
Products include a no-sugar-added muffin mix, keto cake mix and sourdough bread mix. They contain low amounts of naturally occurring sugars, are high in fibre and require only the addition of water and oil.
Treetly is also committed to using biodegradable packaging. Shao hopes to connect with food-processing factories whose by-products could be used as ingredients in the mixes.
“Not only are they healthy for consumers, but our products are also healthy for the environment,” he said.
Through a sampling study during summer 2021, the team aimed to determine the target audience and develop marketing and pricing strategies before launching their product.
“Initially, parents with young kids and seniors with lower tolerance to sugar were our focus,” said Shao. “But now we’re seeing our product as an accessible food option for young adults, such as university students.”
He plans a soft online launch in 2022 and aims to bring the products to local farmers’ markets to conduct more sample tests. He hopes to bring Treetly products to local grocery stores later this year.
“Early in 2020, BioFerm started as a small seed,” said Shao. “With all the support that we’ve been given, it’s continuing to grow.”
He said the Accelerator Guelph program run by U of G’s Research Innovation Office helped him learn about business development and entrepreneurship.
“You start to realize what you don’t know when beginning your own business as a first-time entrepreneur. Initially, it was just me and an idea, and that flourished into a business.”
The initial development of BioFerm and the small-scale testing of Treetly products were supported by the Innovation Guelph Seeding Our Food Future (SOFF) program. Follow-up testing and development were supported by the Accelerator Guelph program and the Gryphon’s LAAIR pitch competition.