http://www.canadasfoodisland.ca/

Canada's Food Island, Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE (2026)

10/19/2026

EXCITING NEWS: Ireland's BIA Innovator Campus and PEI's Food Island Partnership are joining forces to create new opportunities for knowledge exchange, commercialization support and international market development for food and beverage businesses.

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI —Oct 19, 2026— Prince Edward Island food and beverage businesses will soon have new opportunities to innovate, commercialize, and reach new markets due to a newly established MOU. The agreement established between PEI’s Food Island Partnership (FIP), and Ireland’s BIA Innovator Campus will strengthen connections between the two food innovation ecosystems and open doors for new possibilities on both sides of the Atlantic.

The agreement formalizes a structured partnership to foster mutual growth and innovation. It will help businesses collaborate on developing new products and refining processes, while also promoting knowledge sharing and joint training initiatives. Additionally, it creates pathways to connect companies with specialized technical expertise, research institutions, facilities, and commercial networks across Prince Edward Island and Ireland.

“PEI has exceptional food products, talented entrepreneurs and valuable expertise across our food ecosystem. Helping businesses grow means connecting those strengths with the right people, knowledge and opportunities,” said Crystal MacGregor, director of communications and marketing at Food Island Partnership. “This collaboration with BIA Innovator Campus gives us a way to build those connections internationally, share what we do well and learn from others as our companies prepare for their next stage of growth.”

Derek Dunwoody, general manager of BIA Innovator Campus, said “Food innovation thrives when businesses can access the right expertise, learn from the experiences of others and build relationships that open up new possibilities. This partnership with Food Island Partnership gives us an opportunity to connect Irish and PEI food businesses, share practical knowledge and explore new approaches to product development and commercialization. By bringing our respective strengths together, we can help create an environment where businesses are better equipped to innovate, grow and pursue opportunities in new markets.”

The relationship is designed to address specific business needs and readiness levels. Possible opportunities include sharing market insights, connecting companies with advisors and industry contacts, organizing training sessions and study visits, and assisting in product validation before market entry. “This agreement reflects our commitment to strengthening the long-term competitiveness of Prince Edward Island’s food and beverage sector,” said Cindy Dockendorff, board chair of Food Island Partnership. “By building relationships with organizations that share our focus on food innovation and entrepreneurship, we can broaden the opportunities available to Island businesses and bring valuable knowledge back to our industry.”

FIP will contribute its role as a connector and coordinator within PEI’s food innovation ecosystem, helping businesses identify appropriate commercialization, technical and market development resources. BIA Innovator Campus brings food innovation, and entrepreneurship supports, shared facilities, training and connections across Irish and European networks.

Peter Feeney, Chair of the Board of BIA Innovator Campus, highlighted the longer-term value of building international partnerships that support the food sector: “strong food innovation ecosystems are built through collaboration, shared ambition and a willingness to learn from one another. This agreement provides a foundation for a meaningful relationship between Ireland and Prince Edward Island, bringing together complementary expertise and creating opportunities for businesses to develop new capabilities and explore new markets. We look forward to working with Food Island Partnership to turn this shared ambition into practical outcomes for food entrepreneurs and the wider industry,”

The collaboration will also allow the organizations to explore applied research and innovation projects with ecosystem partners, as well as potential funding opportunities. The MOU establishes a three-year framework, with an annual review to assess progress and emerging opportunities. Specific activities will be developed by mutual agreement and will depend on company needs, organizational capacity, resources and appropriate approvals.

About Food Island Partnership

Food Island Partnership is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization supporting the growth, competitiveness, innovation and market development of Prince Edward Island’s food and beverage sector. Through the Canada’s Food Island brand and in collaboration with industry, government, research, education and food innovation partners, FIP connects businesses with expertise, resources and market opportunities.

About BIA Innovator Campus

BIA Innovator Campus CLG is an Irish food innovation and entrepreneurship campus supporting start-up and growing food businesses through infrastructure, technical and commercial supports, training, knowledge resources, and collaborative networks. By bringing businesses, expertise and innovation supports together, BIA Innovator Campus helps food entrepreneurs develop their ideas, advance products towards commercialization and explore opportunities for business growth and market development.

Photo caption: Crystal MacGregor Director of Marketing & Communications, Food Island Partnership (left), Derek Dunwoody, General Manager of BIA Innovator Campus (centre), Bonnie MacDonald Director of Global Trade Service, Innovation PEI (right).

10/16/2026

VICTORIA, P.E.I. — “You’re not claustrophobic, are you?”

After aiming that somewhat ominous question over his shoulder, Scott Travers disappeared into the tent’s dark interior, where giants of the deep ocean dwell.

Inside, a solitary light bulb hanging from the centre of the tent provided just enough illumination for visitors to navigate across a raised platform.

The wooden structure, suspended over a large, cylindrical water tank, contained many large Atlantic halibut, their flat bodies dark against the sea green of the tank and their alien-like eyes always scanning above for food.

Those fish, said Travers, CEO of Amar Seafood P.E.I., represent decades of research, hard work and tens of millions of invested dollars; all currencies spent in the hope of one day creating a new and unique industry in the heart of Canada’s smallest province.

As of late summer 2026, the company is closer than it has ever been to realizing that ambition, with a new $40-million land-based aquaculture facility slated to start construction next year.

Once built and fully online, the new facility will rocket Amar’s current production capacity of about 40 tonnes of fish per year to nearly 1,200 tonnes.

Its two primary products are head-on gutted Atlantic halibut and spotted wolffish – both high-value species currently grown for market nowhere else in North America.

“Here we’re really doing something different and it’s truly good for humankind, in terms of being able to produce protein that is not just safe, but great for consumption. I just love being part of that,” said Travers.

Advancing science

Amar Seafood P.E.I. was born from the bankruptcy of its predecessor, Halibut P.E.I.

That company was founded between 2008 and 2009 and set up shop in a former lobster pound in the picturesque village of Victoria.

The pound already had deep saltwater wells and fish holding capacity, among other advantages, so it was a natural fit for the company.

Halibut P.E.I. did a lot to advance the science and market for land-based halibut aquaculture, but after several years, it got to the point where it could not continue without a restructuring and fresh infusion of cash.

So, in 2022, Travers was brought on to oversee the company’s dissolution and secure new investment.

Travers has a background in engineering, business management and sustainability and had been working as a mentor for companies in the P.E.I. BioAlliance when he first encountered Halibut P.E.I. He recalls being impressed.

“I compare farming halibut to where farming salmon was 30 years ago. A lot of hits and misses, a lot of things to explore and, with that, a lot of casualties — a lot of companies that tried and went down under. So, we persevered, but it needed new money,” he said.

During the bankruptcy process, the company focused on retaining what it saw as its most precious physical asset — its supply of captive, egg-laying broodstock halibut.

In fact, it had bought up all the broodstock for that species in Atlantic Canada, consolidating it in Victoria. Some of the stock are more than 30 years old.

Travers compared securing those fish to saving the company’s golden goose. Halibut take more than a decade to reach reproductive age, so without those mature fish, the fledgling industry would have been set back years.

That turned out to be a prescient move as Amar Seafood came calling soon after and bought out what was left of the company.

New investors

Amar Seafood, part of the Amar Group, is a privately-owned Norwegian aquaculture company with existing experience in rearing both Atlantic halibut and spotted wolffish in its Scandinavian market.

Since the buy-out, Amar has invested a further $22 million into the Victoria facility. It now employs about 13 people locally and is back to producing fish for test markets.

“What the Amar Group brought to the table is a whole bunch of Norwegian technology that we just didn’t have, but also another species, which is the wolffish,” said Travers.

Wolffish is not a traditionally farmed fish in Canada, but it is attractive as an aquaculture species for several reasons.

It’s a fish that has experienced a severe reduction in wild stocks and is listed as a threatened species in Canada. There is no licensed fishery here for them, so catching and keeping one from the wild is illegal and punishable with a hefty fine. That alone makes it a rare sight on dinner plates here.

The species is relatively social with its own kind and is fairly sedentary. So, if its basic needs are met, it handles captivity well.

It’s also a high-fat, big-flavour white fish with large fillets, making it a favourite of chefs who can charge a premium for it. Travers said he has seen the price go as high as $90 per pound at retail.

Nearly all of the fish produced at Amar in Victoria is sold directly to high-end restaurants across North America and has reached beyond as well.

Travers noted that P.E.I.-grown wolffish was served to world leaders at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, by renowned Canadian chef Jeremy Charles of St. John’s.

In a social media post following the event, Amar quoted Charles saying, “The wolffish from Amar was the star of the evening. A beautiful fish to work with, high in protein and full of flavour. The quality is exceptional.”

He also described the fish as “the talk of the meal.”

Given its potential, Amar Group has put an emphasis on advancing that part of its business. The Victoria facility is now home to some of the only wolffish broodstock in North America and can raise the fish from egg to market.

Researchers at Memorial University in N.L. are also rearing broodstock in partnership with Amar.

It’s not the most esthetically pleasing fish around, but Travers quoted a colleague in quipping that, “If you’re a fish and you’re that ugly, you better taste good.”

Building big

All the work and money Amar Seafood has put into Prince Edward Island has been leading to its major expansion project.

“There’s people who want our product, but we can’t sell it because they want thousands of pounds each week and we just can’t do it. We just don’t have the volume; that’s why we’re building the new facility,” said Travers.

The new facility is slated to be built on land just down the road from the current one. Once completed, the current building will focus on producing eggs and fry, which will be grown out and processed at the new facility. It will employ about 30 people in total.

The project has faced its share of hurdles, though. Amar had to navigate lengthy approval processes from all levels of government.

A group of local residents also appealed the project at the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, arguing it would negatively impact their quality of life. That appeal was dismissed earlier this year.

Part of the complication Amar has faced is its location in Victoria, a village famous for its P.E.I. country ambiance, with many old historic homes now housing boutique art businesses and restaurants.

The municipality itself has fewer than 150 year-round residents, but during the summer, it becomes one of the Island’s most heavily visited places, with tens of thousands of tourists checking it out.

So, residents are understandably protective of what they have, and some have feared Amar’s project will detract from what makes the community unique.

The company wants to be a good neighbour, said Travers, and did everything it could to take the community’s concerns to heart.

L
The footprint of the new facility was reduced following community consultations. A tourism component was also added to the expansion, which will now include a visitor centre, with tours and education about the aquaculture process.

Victoria Mayor Martin Ruben believes the project will be a good one for the community.

“Victoria’s location and access to the type of water Amar needs made this expansion an opportunity for both the company and the community,” said Ruben.

“It will put Victoria on the map for something beyond our beautiful historic assets and tourism appeal, while creating year-round jobs and expanding our tax base.

“Protecting Victoria’s rural charm and historic character was an important consideration in reviewing the proposed plant’s location and its distance from the village’s historic core. Amar’s planned visitor and education centre could also give residents and tourists another reason to explore Victoria and learn about land-based aquaculture.”

Breaking ground

It has taken a lot of work to get to this point, but Amar is now fully permitted to build its expansion.

Travers had hoped to start construction this fall, but things did not line up in time. He now hopes to break ground in the spring of 2027. In the meantime, the company is shoring up the project’s financials and is open to investment.

“We’re in the middle of our financial raise right now. We’re working with the federal government, tapping into programs that are available. We don’t have hat-in-hand, but we’re looking for programs that are available to lessen the load on our financial raise,” he said.

Travers is looking forward to the day when Amar can finally break ground. He believes it will be a big step forward for the Island’s aquaculture industry.

P.E.I. is already famous for its lobster, oysters and mussels — Amar is aiming to add two more species to that list.

10/14/2026

Here on Canada's Food Island, we're oh-so-fortunate to have access to the very best dairy products, thanks to our incredible and their herds of happy cows.

We recently visited Abe and Elaine Buttimer of Abelaine Farms in New Glasgow to learn more about their dairy operation. This hard-working couple, who have farmed this land since 1989, care for their herd of 35 cows and grow grains with help from their adult son.

Over the years, they've won several awards, including one for Master Breeder from the Holstein Association of Canada (a big deal!)

Abe and Elaine milk twice a day, at 5am and 5pm, and keep their barn dry and clean so their cows stay comfortable. Their milk is delivered daily to where the highest quality standards are maintained during the production of fluid milk, cheeses, sour cream, ice cream, and other dairy products.

Fun fact: Did you know ADL produces more than 60% of Canada's feta cheese? You may not find it under the ADL brand, but the company actually makes many white-label dairy products enjoyed by dairy lovers across Canada😃.

We love that Abe and Elaine are dedicated to educating the next generation about the ins and outs of farming. Every year, they welcome elementary students to their farm to learn what it takes to produce milk and grow plants. The kids even get to pet a cow or calf 🐮❤.

This is what family farming is all about - good animal husbandry, stewarding the land, being a part of the community and producing high-quality food ❤.

10/09/2026

As we head into Thanksgiving weekend, we give deep thanks to the many, many folks who work day in and day out to feed their communities, the Island, and other places near and far.

From our PEI farmers and fishers to our beverage makers, chefs, food producers, farm and fishing crews, plant workers, hospitality staff, food scientists, and countless others, we are so grateful for your dedication, your skills, your hard work, and your passion.

Here's to you and yours with thanks ❤

And, of course, the best way to give thanks to our food folks is to support them with your food (and beverage) dollars 😍 This weekend and throughout the year, remember to wherever you shop!

09/30/2026

Today, we honour the children who never returned home, the Survivors of residential schools, and their families and communities on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Reconciliation is not just a day of commemoration; it is a collective responsibility that demands our reflection, learning, and action every day. Let’s walk the path together, committed to co-creating a future of equity and respect.

09/29/2026

Hats off to our Dairy Farmers of PEI for their incredible dedication to providing the highest-quality dairy by following stringent food safety standards and working with their herd every day to ensure they are comfortable and cared for.

They work closely with PEI's most well-reputed dairy brands, including and .pei.

That means you can support PEI's dairy farmers simply by picking up a carton of ADL milk, a block of Cows Creamery cheese, a package of Squeak-ies Cheese Curds or any other delicious products from these beloved dairy producers.

09/28/2026

Full of flavour, packed with protein, and oh-so-easy to prepare for any-sized crowd!

There's so much to love about PEI Mussels - that's why 80% of all mussels produced in Canada are from our food island.

👉 BUY PEI MUSSELS - find PEI Mussels at your local grocery store, fishmonger, and on restaurant menus across North America.

Pssst- wholesalers can connect directly with our mussel producers by visiting Prince Edward Island Seafood at princeedwardislandseafood.com/where-to-buy/wheretobuy-mussels/

09/25/2026

Calling all Prince Edward Island Potatoes lovers, it's the most wonderful time of the year here on Canada's Food Island it's harvesting season 🥔

Our PEI farmers have over two hundred years of experience growing high-quality potatoes in our iron-rich soils. They have a deep respect for the land and work tirelessly to ensure that PEI potatoes are grown sustainably and with care.

No matter how you plan to cook 'em up - mashed, roasted, boiled, fried or any other way - you can look forward to enjoying the superior flavours and nutrition of our PEI potatoes.

👉 BUY PEI: You can find PEI potatoes on grocery store shelves across Canada, the US and beyond. Our high-quality potatoes are also used by international potato chip and french fry brands, as well as other food producers with discerning taste 😃

09/24/2026

Did you know one of Canada’s leading allergen-free baking brands, Duinkerken Foods , is based right here in PEI?!

Their story is one of resilience, innovation, and a deep-rooted love for bringing families together over food that everyone can enjoy.

In 1994, Brenda van Duinkerken was diagnosed with celiac disease. Back then, the transition to a gluten-free lifestyle was especially challenging, as Brenda found the available baking options lacking in flavour, consistency, and texture.

Fueled by determination and a vision for a tastier, healthier future, Brenda took matters into her own hands. She brought her passion for baking to the test kitchen, creating food that was not only delicious but also catered to those with dietary restrictions.

Fast forward to 2005, and Duinkerken Foods was born. Over the past two decades, this beloved Island company has grown by leaps and bounds to become a well-known national brand providing nutritious, convenient, and delicious baking mixes for families across Canada and beyond.

We love working with family-owned businesses like Duinkerken to help them realize their vision, while showcasing the quality and innovation that Canada’s Food Island has to offer.

And we reckon there’s no better time to Buy PEI + Canadian, and bake up a storm of delicious allergy-free goodies for your fam.

Ready to try Duinkerken? You’ll find their products on the shelves of most national retailers, including Sobeys, Loblaws and Walmart, as well as Amazon, Bulk Barn, IGA, Foodland, Safeway and many more. For a full list, visit the ‘Where to Buy section of their website: www.duinkerkenfoods.com/where-to-buy-duinkerken/

09/22/2026

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

One of the best ways to give thanks to our amazing Island farmers is simply to 😃.

If turkey or chicken is on your menu, be sure to pre-order from Larkin Farms or any of our other PEI poultry farmers.

We'd love to know: what's on your Thanksgiving menu and where are you shopping for your feast?

Canada's Food Island

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