Partnerships bring benefits to companies and consumers alike

When working alone, company growth can often be slow. Partnering with others, however, can help speed up that growth, leading to new technologies, new opportunities and new products for Canadians to enjoy.

For the past two years, Prairie Fava has experienced this accelerated growth first-hand. After launching their first Protein Industries Canada project in June 2020, Prairie Fava has expanded to partner with multiple ingredient and food processors, including Three Farmers, Big Mountain Foods, Actually Foods and Flourish. Each partnership has provided its own benefits to both sides of the partnership, along with plenty of benefits for Canadians.

“The positive promotion that fava is receiving at the online and direct-to-consumer retail platforms through Three Farmers is very beneficial to us,” Prairie Fava co-founder and CEO Hailey Jefferies said. “As fava is relatively new for consumers and the food industry in general, Prairie Fava as an SME has challenges in promoting the taste, health profile, versatility and sustainability of fava. Three Farmers is a trusted brand with a high level of consumer loyalty. The company recognizes the importance of communicating extensively the very positive health profile of fava and maintaining this health appeal through roasting technologies built on minimal processing.”

This has been a cyclical benefit, as Three Farmers has found that adding fava beans to their list of ingredients has improved both their products and their consumers’ satisfaction.

“Partnering with Prairie Fava has ensured we get only the best quality fava beans for our customers. Their commitment to quality has enabled us to focus on product development and roasting these products to perfection,” Three Farmers co-founder and CEO Natasha Vandenhurk said. “Because our final product is the whole bean itself, it builds awareness for fava beans when consumers are able to pick it up off the shelf, read the whole bean nutrients on the back of the label and know they are feeding themselves and their families something that is nutritious and Canadian-grown and -made.”

It was a shared love for promoting the benefits of fava beans while strengthening the local economy that led to Prairie Fava and Three Farmers working together, and to Prairie Fava developing partnerships with other businesses throughout the prairies. Helping boost other female-led businesses also appealed to both Jefferies and Vandenhurk, as does working with ingredients that offer as many sustainability benefits as fava beans.

While each of her company’s partnerships have been successful, Jefferies doesn’t anticipate limiting Prairie Fava to these companies alone. She hopes to find others that share Prairie Fava’s vision, in the hopes of bringing fava beans’ benefits to consumers around the world.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with other companies like Three Farmers who share our corporate goals and passion about agriculture and healthy food,” Jefferies said. “Prairie Fava is excited to extend our knowledge about the versality of fava to others to result in a greater number and range of fava-based products for consumers that will benefit farmers and the environment we rely on. “