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Have you ever thought of having Gew?rztraminer toast with your eggs benedict? or, a Pinot Noir baguette with your favorite cheese? Both are possible thanks to Vinifera For Life, who has
created a product with delectable taste and texture that is incredibly good for you too! Flour made from wine grape skins.Background:
Vinifera For Life is a 100% Canadian owned incorporated company founded in 2006 by Mark Walpole, internationally recognized Certified Chef de Cuisine. His concept was to make bread from flour using grape skins as a base. The well-known health benefits from grapes would be coupled with the quality of taste for products destined for the fast growing functional, nutraceutical food market. Market research conducted by the University of Waterloo's Innovation Centre and supported by the Canadian National Research Council's IRAP program confirmed market acceptance for Vinifera For Life breads to be "HIGH". Following experimentation by the Chefs, the Guelph Food Technology Centre was contracted in 2005 with support from the National Research Council's IRAP program to develop the desired product. Bread from the resulting formulation is being test marketed with great success. Further, the independent Brunswick and Industrial Laboratories have analyzed the product and confirmed its nutritional attributes.
The Product:
Vinifera For Life flour is a nutritionally improved and taste enhanced product that will appeal to chefs, bakers, pastry chefs and the layperson. Product differentiation will be achieved through the varietal character of the grape or grapes if blended and of the vineyard. A key ingredient in the product is resveratrol, an antioxidant recognized for its significant health benefits particularly related to cancer and heart disease. The flour may be blended with specific ingredients to be organic, or gluten free. In discussions with industry professionals and our research the applications are limitless. Each individual user has applied their expertise and personal touch to the product they have produced.The Market:
Functional foods are perhaps the fastest growing segment in the food industry. Estimates indicate that the functional foods and nutraceuticals market may be as high as $37 billion in the United States, $20 billion in Europe, $14 billion in Japan and $2 billion in Canada. The segment is expected to outpace the growth of the food industry as a whole.
New Products:
Although the focus of Vinifera For Life is flour, a number of other products based upon the grape skin attributes offer significant potential and will be developed over time. Discussions regarding such opportunities are being conducted with the Guelph Food Technology Centre with promising results.
The new products being considered include grape skin powder for antioxidant, protein beverages, tea, flour for pasta, crackers, and other health snacks plus varietal specific grape seed oil. Products are also being developed with organic growers.Management:
Vinifera For Life's principals have been professional associates for 35 years and their credentials include, in part, the following. Mark Walpole, CCC, is co-founder and CEO. His management experience includes serving as Executive Chef at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee; Executive Chef at the Rogers Centre (Skydome) in Toronto and 11 years as Executive Chef at Niagara-on-the Lakes' Prince Of Wales Hotel. Advisors committed to assist Vinifera For Life include Bob Kuhns, Ken Bridgeman, C.A., Joseph Keozierski, and Greg Herriott. Bob has 45 years of senior management experience in international operations having conducted business in over 80 countries. Ken's company, Bridgeman and Durksen are Chartered Accountants serving many businesses throughout Niagara. Joseph's company, St. Joseph's Bakery has served the community for almost 50 years. Greg's company, Hempola Canada, is an industry leader in hemp farming, processing and marketing.