Canadian food group Maple Leaf Foods has opened a C$12m (US$11.3m) innovation facility to focus on its global bakery and protein businesses.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


The ThinkFood Centre occupies 25,000 square feet on the campus of Maple Leaf’s corporate offices in Ontario, and operates as the company’s product development hub, supporting customer research and product testing.


The centre was designed, the company said, to provide a central “hands-on learning environment” where employees can develop, share and collaborate on new food concepts with foodservice and retail customers.


“We’ve created an innovative environment where all of our food innovators can work together under one roof in collaboration with customers and increase the speed-to-market for introducing exciting new food ideas from around the world,” said Michael McCain, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods. “ThinkFood is a place where we draw inspiration from a global food basket of ideas.”


The centre’s amenities include presentation kitchens, teaching and demonstration facilities, research labs, product development and sensory testing areas, simulated retail environments, and trends resource library.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact