Our Journey So Far

If you’ve been following Food Web for a while, you know that this project began with a simple question: How can we make it easier for people to do good work in food?

In 2023, we entered the Lab2Market Launch program at Dalhousie University with an idea rooted in mapping the food system. A way to make farms, organizations, kitchens, and community resources more visible and connected. Through dozens of interviews, it became clear that while mapping is needed, access to shared infrastructure was a more urgent challenge, especially around certified kitchens.

Many small food businesses were struggling to find kitchen space to rent. At the same time, many kitchens were sitting empty for large parts of the week. That was the spark!

“How can we make it easier for people to do good work in food?”

What has Food Web done so far?

1. 2023

   Lab2Market Launch at Dalhousie University

   Food Web entered the programme with an idea rooted in mapping the food system. Dozens of interviews pointed somewhere more urgent: access to shared infrastructure, and certified kitchens above all. 80+ food businesses interviewed across Atlantic Canada

2. 2023/24 and 2024/25

   Two years with Dalhousie's College of Sustainability

   Student research teams examined how food system actors in Nova Scotia find information, share resources and reach the infrastructure they need. Their reports sit in the Food Web research library.

3. Spring 2025

   Province-wide focus group tour

   Funded by a LearnSphere grant, Food Web ran focus groups from Cape Breton to the Valley to Yarmouth with kitchen operators, market managers, food entrepreneurs, farmers, community volunteers and government officials.

4. 2025

   Accepted into the Volta Tech Residency

   A place in the residency, and with it a community of founders, mentors and innovators to keep building alongside.

5. 8 December 2025

   Food Web Kitchens grand launch

   The date announced in Food Web's press release of 17 November 2025 for the public launch of the kitchen rental platform, with the Halifax Brewery Farmers' Market as an early pilot partner.

Research That Grounded the Vision

From the beginning, Food Web has been shaped by research and collaboration. We partnered with Dalhousie University’s College of Sustainability for two consecutive years (2023/24 and 2024/25), where student research teams explored how food system actors in Nova Scotia find information, share resources, and access the infrastructure they need.

Their work confirmed what we were hearing across the province:

• There is incredible effort and innovation in the local food system
• But people often feel disconnected from one another
• Better visibility and shared infrastructure could unlock new possibilities

These student research projects played a defining role in shaping Food Web’s direction. You can explore those reports and summaries here: Food Web Research Library

Engagement Across Nova Scotia

Beyond formal research, we’ve been on the ground, listening and learning. Our founder & CEO, Justin Andrews, has been attending and speaking at conferences and gatherings across Atlantic Canada, including:

• The ACORN Organic Conference
• The North End Community Health Centre’s Food Conference in Halifax
• Community food roundtables

At these events, we connected with farmers, nonprofit organizers, food hub coordinators, and government representatives who echoed the same frustrations that sparked this work.

Focus Group Tour

Funded by a grant through Learn Sphere, this spring we hosted a province-wide focus group tour, from Cape Breton to the Valley to Yarmouth. Kitchen operators, market managers, food entrepreneurs, farmers, community volunteers, and government officials came together to talk about challenges faced in local food systems. Availability of rental kitchens for small food businesses was a focal point and pressing concern.

Regarging barriers to shared rental kitchens, we heard stories of:

• confusing regulations,
• trust barriers,
• time-consuming scheduling,
• storage limitations,
• and the challenge of supporting food entrepreneurship sustainably.
  

You can read the full report here

Back to School

During all of this, over the last 2 years, Justin also completed a Master’s in Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship (MMIE) at Queen’s University. This helped ensure that Food Web is built with strategy, systems, and the capacity to scale responsibly.

Volta Tech Residency

We are excited to share that Food Web was recently accepted into the Volta Tech Residency, enabling us to continue growing alongside a supportive community of founders, mentors, and innovators.

Building Our First Tool: The Kitchen Rental Platform

With the help of:

• CTO, Keegan Francis (tech architecture & full-stack development)
• Mariah at MIBV (brand + UI/UX design)
• A team of advisors deeply rooted in food systems, entrepreneurship, and community development
• Grant support including
  • LearnSphere Commercialization funding
  • CEED Consulting Advisory Services
• And early pilot partner with the Halifax Brewery Farmers’ Market

We've launched the Food Web Kitchen Rental Platform.

The platform helps:

• Food businesses → find certified kitchen space available for rent
• Kitchen owners → earn income from underused space, with less admin work.

It handles:

• onboarding + documentation
• scheduling + messaging
• insurance & food safety uploads
• payments & agreements

The goal is simple: Make it easier for food businesses to rent part time kitchens. And to help kitchen owners monetize their under-utilized space.

Want to learn more about how shared kitchens can support the local food economy? Read: Sharing is Caring

The other half of this story is how it started. Justin’s own journey, from Muffin Man Enterprises to Food Web, is the personal version: one baker who could not find a licensed kitchen, and what that turned into.

How to Stay Connected

Food Web was born from research, collaboration, and community voices, and it continues to grow the same way.

If you’d like to stay involved:

• Know of an underused kitchen? → Direct them to Food Web
• Want to see how the platform works? → Join a weekly webinar
• Have ideas, questions or want to partner with us?→ Reach our anytime! We’d love to talk!

Thank you for being part of this journey. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited for what comes next.

Justin Andrews

CEO & Co-Founder

Food Web Asset Mapping Inc.