Award Winning Plant-Based Foods Innovator; Helped Over 400 Companies Create Over 900 New Food Products in 35 Year Career
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, September 23, 2021 | (BUSINESS WIRE) | Eat Well Investment Group Inc., (the “Company” or “Eat Well Group”) (CN:EWG) (US:EWGFF) (FRA:6BC0), a publicly-traded investment company, is pleased to announce that award-winning food innovation pioneer and President of the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc. (“Food Centre”), Daniel Prefontaine, has joined the Company’s strategic advisory board.
Dan Prefontaine has been active in the plant-based food industry for over 35 years. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2019 and was further recognized for his role in promoting the use of pulses in plant based-foods in 2020. Dan has played an integral part in establishing Canada as one of the global leaders in food production and technology. Mr. Prefontaine has led the Food Centre to assist over 400 companies to develop over 900 new food products ranging from a wide variety of ingredients and consumer packaged goods (CPG). These companies include some of the most well-known plant-based CPG brands from around the world. In 2016 Dan raised $27,000,000 to establish the new Agri-Food Innovation Centre in Saskatchewan, which has recently expanded to include an incubator to its portfolio, expanding its capacity in extrusion technology for plant-based foods. Additionally, Mr. Prefontaine has been appointed as Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Federal Grant Organization for Agriculture.
“Rare are true pioneers in plant-based food development; rarer-still are pioneering culinary craftsmen who commercialize and lead as well as Dan Prefontaine,” commented Marc Aneed, President of Eat Well Group. “His joining of our advisory board is a powerful, industry-level affirmation of Eat Well Group’s vision and potential,” continued Marc Aneed.
The Company believes there is an immense opportunity to invest in the global food sector to support a healthier society through diversification with a focus on the conversion of plant and cell-based materials as new ingredients that have the ability to change the landscape of consumer foods. Mr. Prefontaine’s extensive track record and experience in product innovation together with his network of global leaders in plant-based foods and CPG will be a significant asset for the Company.
“Over the past five years, we have seen the largest increase in entrepreneurship opportunities in the area of food, particularly in the plant protein space. It is clear Eat Well Group’s strong assets, investments, and management are working to unmask new technologies to provide innovation and technological solutions to address the need for a secure food chain. I am incredibly excited to join Eat Well Group’s experienced team to help expand their product offerings, capabilities, and markets,” stated Dan Prefontaine, newly appointed Strategic Advisor of Eat Well Group.
Mr. Prefontaine joins the recently announced Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed (“Prince Khaled”) on Eat Well Group’s newly formed Strategic Advisory Board. Prince Khaled is a known pioneer in plant-based food investing and venture-backed future food start-ups and among those global visionaries driving solutions at scale related to food security, human and animal welfare, and climate change. Prince Khaled is the CEO of KBW Ventures and serves in various key appointments in Saudi Arabia and globally.
“With the appointment of Dan Prefontaine and the recently announced appointment of Prince Khaled to our Strategic Advisory Board, Eat Well Group is building an unparalleled senior leadership team with direct experience in scaling multi-national plant-based food companies; with a global impact in climate change, food sustainability and the democratization of plant-based foods,” commented Mark Coles, Chief Investment Officer of Eat Well Group.
