FreeYumm is a British Columbia (BC)-based business dedicated to creating allergen-friendly snacks. Their snacks are free from the top nine priority allergens and are made in a dedicated allergen-free bakery.
Sarah Clarke, President of FreeYumm started creating specialty baked goods after her son was left out from sharing food with friends due to allergies. Since then, the company has expanded to offer a range of inclusive snacks so individuals don’t have to be excluded from the experience of sharing food.
FreeYumm recently added to their snack range with two new savory snacks—crackers and cracker bites. After working with IAF to receive funding from the B.C. Agrifood and Seafood Market Development Program, FreeYumm was able to start marketing to new areas of Canada and launch their new products in the US.
To adjust to the challenges caused by Covid19, FreeYumm focused primarily on digital marketing. Funding helped them to hire a contractor to assist with the creation of social media advertising. They utilized digital marketing to expand to new regions and build brand awareness.
“By participating in the B.C. Agrifood and Seafood Market Development Program, FreeYumm was able to increase sales this year by 90%,” said Sarah. “As a small Canadian company, the support of the funding was instrumental for us to be able to launch a new product into the US with a strong retail partner and expand our product offering across Canada.”
Funding for this project has been provided by the Governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Canada-BC Market Development Program was delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC.
The federal-provincial-territorial Canadian Agricultural Partnership framework ends on March 31, 2023. Check the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s webpage for updates about upcoming funding opportunities after March 31.
