How To Get Involved

Prairie Research Kitchen is dedicated to culinary research and food development projects with food manufacturers and food service companies. The culinary research team has a blended background of culinary and food science skills, supplemented with the talent from RRC Polytech Culinary Arts students and instructors.

Industry benefits from the unique perspective the culinary team brings to projects, with a focus on taste and performance for consumers and food service applications.

Learn more about Prairie Research Kitchen or read below to find out how you can benefit from Red River College Polytechnic’s resources to bring your project idea to life.

Step 1: Eligibility Criteria

1.1: Our Clients

We serve all sizes of companies, from start-ups to large manufacturers and food service organizations. This includes:

Companies who want to bring new business ideas to life
Product development professionals who need support between ideation and scaling-up
Food processing/service companies seeking process improvement or ingredient optimizations

1.2: Client Needs

Our clients work with us in three core types of services:

Service	Description
Research and Development	Food prototyping, ingredient applications, food process modifications and consumer research trials
Technical Services	Recipe development, food photography, commercialization and marketing support
Training	Training related to incorporation of novel ingredients or new cooking or preservation methods

Emerging areas for culinary research include food fermentation, charcuterie and meat curing, food waste repurposing, and clinical sample development and production. Product and process development continues with proteins, hemp, pulses, and Indigenous foods and ingredients.

Step 2: Submit Your Project Idea

Step 3: Let's Brainstorm Together

Once you get in touch with us, we’ll work together to figure out the best way to bring your idea to life. We listen to your needs and gain a thorough understanding of the project requirements. Then we provide guidance, address uncertainties, and work to ensure your product will meet your expectations. We work with you to define project scope, possible timelines and next steps.

Pricing and timetable of deliverables will be determined on an individual basis. Clients’ requirements will be gathered and analyzed to determine the scope of the service. The deliverables will depend on the scope and objective of the service.

Step 4: Evaluate Funding Opportunities

Once we figure out the scope of your project, we’ll help you tap into funding opportunities. As a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funded Technology Access Centre, we have access to a pool of grants from different funding sources that support innovative services and products, applied research and industry training. The cost of the project could be partially covered by one of our funding agencies. We can also leverage your cash to secure additional funding. You will also have the option of paying for the project, especially if immediate delivery is preferred.

Step 5: Project Start

When your project is ready to start, we’ll mobilize our resources to better serve your needs. Depending on the scope of your project, you could team up with Prairie Research Kitchen expert staff, Red River College Polytechnic instructors, students and partner organizations to get the return on your investment. Access our technology and facilities to support your project, or we could come to you if you’re looking for convenience.

Step 6: Project Delivery

Make food prototypes and test new ingredients. Create new recipes and develop consumer taste testing. Train your team to improve production processes. At Prairie Research Kitchen, we strive for developing meaningful projects that can fulfill the bottom line of all organizations – bringing return to your investment. Read more about our success cases and find out how we engage with our clients to deliver our projects on time and on budget.

“I was extremely impressed with the chef’s culinary expertise and ability to work technically on process development. We were able to develop a rapport immediately and communicate effectively to meet project goals. I look forward to working with the group again.”
– Kelly Henderson, Product Development Manager, Richardson Milling Limited

Success by the Numbers

70+

Companies

Number of partners served by Prairie Research Kitchen

120+

Product Ideas

Number of food product ideas developed by Prairie Research Kitchen

$1.75M

TAC Grant

Total Technology Access Centre grant awarded to Prairie Research Kitchen

All figures for 2013 – 2019

Start a Project with Prairie Research Kitchen.

We’ve worked with nearly 70 companies from Manitoba to British Columbia to generate over 120 product ideas. Find out how you can benefit from RRC Polytech’s facilities, technology and expertise to bring your project ideas to life.

Prairie Research Kitchen