2025 Conference Schedule
May 6 & 7, 2025 – Sheraton Cavalier Saskatoon Hotel, Saskatoon, Sk
*Time is subject to change
May 6, 2025
8:00 AM
Registration & Coffee
8:30 AM
Opening Remarks
8:45 AM
Harvest to Market: Food & Beverage Trendspotting
Elizabeth Crawford
Senior Editor
FoodNavigator - USA
Elizabeth Crawford
Senior Editor
FoodNavigator - USA
Elizabeth is the senior editor of FoodNavigator-USA, a leading online news source for the food industry that offers a 360-degree view of the food and beverage market, spanning everything from investment, incubation and innovation to ingredients, food science and product formulation, labelling, litigation, trends and more.
Elizabeth has more than two decades of experience covering the food, supplement and healthcare industries through business, regulatory and legislative lenses. She is the host of FoodNavigator-USA’s weekly Soup-To-Nuts podcast that tracks emerging trends, regulatory pressures and marketing strategies.
9:45 AM
Networking Break
10:15 AM
Panel: Emerging US Trade & Business Relations
The new US administration under President Trump is reshaping US-Canada relations, while Canada prepares for its own Federal election. These changes create both challenges and opportunities for the agribusiness industry. This panel will provide insights into the impacts of policy shifts on trade, market access, and cross-border partnerships. Hear what these changes mean for the future of cross-border trade and how businesses can adapt to the evolving landscape.
*Moderator to be announced
Terry Tyson
VP Oat Milling Operations
Grain Millers, Inc.
Terry Tyson
VP Oat Milling Operations
Grain Millers, Inc.
Terry grew up on the family grain farm in Harris, SK, about 50 miles SW of Saskatoon. After graduating from Harris Tessier High School, Terry attended the University of Regina’s Journalism program but decided instead to pursue a career in agriculture. After a brief training period in Pioneer Grain’s elevator system, Terry joined the trading side of the business in the late 90’s trading feed wheat and barley out of Saskatchewan.
In 1999 Terry took the reins of Richardson’s oat merchandising team, relocating to Winnipeg, but still wearing green to football games. In summer 2001 Grain Millers – a significant trading partner – acquired Popowich Milling in Yorkton, and Terry jumped at the chance to move back to Saskatchewan, and closer to home, accepting a position as their Grain Procurement Manager. Terry converted the Grain Millers sourcing program at Yorkton from a trade-supplied model to a producer-direct model, developing strong relationships with hundreds of farmers and positioning Grain Millers as a direct link between its farmer-suppliers and food company customers.
Over the past 20+ years, Grain Millers’ business has grown significantly, and in 2017 Terry became the General Manager of Grain Millers Canada, broadening his scope of responsibility across the breadth of the business. Early this year, Terry became the President of Grain Millers Canada, and the Vice President of Oat Milling Operations of Grain Millers, Inc. Terry and wife Dana reside in Yorkton with their two teenaged children.
11:15 AM
Smart Strategies for Uncertain Times
Every successful company must create market demand for their products. But how do businesses do that well in today’s uncertain and evolving world? With a fun, high energy, and case study format, this presentation will uncover the principles and strategies of successful food brands to help provide clarity, inspiration, and action needed. Participants will take away key learnings in marketing that can be immediately applied to their situation and make them into a marketer – regardless of job title.
Braden Douglas
CEO & Founding Partner
Crew Marketing Partners
Braden Douglas
CEO & Founding Partner
Crew Marketing Partners
Braden Douglas is the founder of Crew Marketing Partners, a premier marketing & creative agency specializing in CPG Food & Beverage brands. Braden started his career in brand management at Procter & Gamble and Frito Lay in Toronto and started Crew in 2007 in Vancouver, BC and now has offices in Toronto and the US.
Crew’s client list includes some of the top food brands in North America including Lindt chocolate, Nature’s Path Foods, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, UNFI, Canada Pork, Silver Hills Bakery, Premium Brands, BC Fresh and many more.
He is also an active investor in food companies. Braden is part-owner in the fastest growing snack company in Canada called Naturally Homegrown Foods which has the brands Hardbite Potato Chips and Poptastic Popcorn.
In his spare time, he writes and speaks on leadership at BradenDouglas.com. His book Becoming a Leader of Impact: How Your Influence Can Change the World is an Amazon best-seller and has been translated into 6 languages. Braden lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and two teenage children. He is an avid reader, runner, soccer player, and health enthusiast.
12:00 PM
Lunch Break
12:55 PM
Welcome Back
1:00 PM
From By-Products to High-Value Ingredients: The Circular Economy Transition
The transition to a circular economy in the agrifood chain relies on maximizing resource efficiency and developing new revenue sources through coproduct valorization. This presentation focuses on three key enablers: aligning innovation in upcycling with food production set standards; fostering collaboration among stakeholders (including suppliers, processors/innovators, and buyers); and implementing revenue-sharing mechanisms to incentivize this transition. This win-win strategy not only promotes environmental stewardship but also strengthens a resilient, profitable, and reliable food supply chain.
Ricardo Martinez
President, CPO & Co-Founder
Terra Bioindustries
Ricardo Martinez
President, CPO & Co-Founder
Terra Bioindustries
Ricardo Martinez is the President, Chief Product Officer, and one of two Co-founders of Terra Bioindustries, a groundbreaking agri-food-tech company focused on valorizing agro-industrial
co-products into multiple valuable ingredient side streams for food, pet food, and bioproducts applications. As President and CPO, he is responsible for leading client and business development, driving new product market entries for current and new ingredient lines, and identifying new valorization opportunities.
Ricardo is trained in Project Management, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and Sustainable Finance—tools that enable him to implement agile and sustainable methodologies for business and product development. He has more than six years of experience as an entrepreneur in the Agri-Tech space and over ten years of experience in bioprocesses industrialization. Before working full-time at Terra, Ricardo led the Upstream team for the largest biotechnology investment in Canada for vaccine manufacturing at a major global vaccine company in Toronto.
Ricardo earned his Master’s in Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2016 and holds a Bachelor in Applied Science in Biotechnology Engineering from ITESM (Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico). Representing Terra, he has participated in several international programs and projects, including the XPRIZE competition, IndieBio, CDL Rockies, and the Liveability Challenge in Singapore.
1:45 pm
Networking Break
2:15 pm
Panel: Understanding Cyber Security Risks in Food Industry
The agri-value industry is increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks, leading to numerous operational and supply chain disruptions, risks to food safety, and impacting consumer trust, and often resulting in significant financial losses for companies. Understanding these threats is crucial for the industry’ resilience and growth. This panel brings together cybersecurity experts and industry leaders to share insights, real-world experiences, and best practices for preventing, responding, and mitigating risks.
*Speakers to be announced
3:15 PM
Keynote: AI, Wearables & Personalized Nutrition: How Consumer Technology is Reshaping the Future of Food
Food is no longer just about fueling our bodies—it’s about data, personalization, and optimizing well-being. Today’s consumers aren’t just eating; they are tracking, analyzing, and redefining their diets with the help of AI-powered apps, smart wearables, and digital health platforms. As technology, pharmaceuticals, and food science converge, businesses must evolve to meet the demand for hyper-personalized, health-conscious, and tech-driven nutrition solutions. The future of food isn’t just on our plates—it is in our data, our devices, and the innovations shaping every bite.
David Donnan
Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University,
President Silvertip Management
David Donnan
Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University,
President Silvertip Management
David Donnan is a business leader and consultant with significant global experience in the agriculture, food and retail industries. During his career, David has run operating companies, managed food plants and consulted to leading global retail and consumer product companies.
David is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University teaching a graduate course on the Future of Sustainable Food & Agriculture. He is also a Partner Emeritus with Kearney, an international management consulting firm, where he ran the global food and agriculture practice.
A champion of innovation in the food sector, David works as an investor and mentor with many entrepreneurs and startups in the nutrition, food and agriculture industry. He recently served a 3-year term as a Public Board Member of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, that represents the 100,000 registered dieticians in the US. He often speaks at leading conferences on the topics of consumer nutrition, technology and consumer trends.
David is a Limited Partner of Spiral Sun Investments, an early stage venture capital firm focusing on natural foods and food supplements. He also serves on the boards of Protein Industries Canada, a public-private partnership to promote plant based protein industries and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research that funds advanced research into sustainable agriculture.
David is a professional engineer and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Rotman School at the University of Toronto.
5:00 PM
Industry Networking Reception
Top of the Inn
Sheraton Cavalier Saskatoon Hotel
May 7, 2025 Workshops
Join us for day two of Saskatchewan Agri-Value Forum! Choose from two concurrent morning workshops.
The workshops are intended for the Executives and operational staffs from value-added processing companies to support their organization in developing actionable plans on the subject areas. These workshops are offered in person only.
8:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Cybersecurity Threat Planning
This informative and interactive workshop offers participants a unique opportunity to engage with cyber security experts. Participants will gain valuable insights into the tools and strategies needed to create a robust cyber security plan. While the information provided is sector-agnostic, participants are encouraged to adapt their cyber security plans in accordance with their individual requirements, risks, resources, and regulatory environments. The workshop will guide attendees through essential aspects of developing a cyber security plan, including conducting risk assessments, incident response procedures, security awareness training of personnel and emphasize on information sharing within the cyber security ecosystem. In addition, the workshop will align with the Cyber Security Readiness Goals (CRGs), which aim to bolster cyber security for Critical Infrastructure. Participants will learn how to apply these cross-sector goals to prioritize investments in cyber security and elevate their organization’s cyber security posture. By the end of the session, participants will have the elements of an actionable plan to safeguard their digital assets and enhance their cyber security readiness.
*Speakers to be announced
8:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Creating Environmental, Social, and Governance Strategies
Whether your company is just starting its ESG journey, or you are revisiting and renewing your ESG strategy, this informative and interactive workshop will take you through the 6 steps to develop and implement your ESG strategy and reporting. The workshop will outline the process for developing an effective ESG strategy – including governance requirements, stakeholder and materiality assessments, setting goals and targets, ESG reporting, and operationalizing your ESG strategy for maximum effectiveness. A mix of presentation and interactive/group work will demonstrate the concepts to participants and provide practical steps for implementation.
Karri Howlett
Karri Howlett Consulting
Karri Howlett
Karri Howlett Consulting
Karri has worked with businesses and organizations providing corporate strategy, governance, mergers and acquisitions, financial due diligence, and risk analysis for over 20 years. Using curious insight and creative tools built with best practices, Karri works leadership teams to develop practical strategies for aspirational goals.
Karri currently sits on the Boards of NexGen Energy (as Chair of the ESG Committee), Gold Royalty (as Chair of the Sustainability Committee), March Consulting, and the University of Regina Board of Governors (as Chair of the HR Committee). She previously served as the Chair of the Safety, Environment and Corporate Responsibility Committee for SaskPower, leading the development and implementation of net zero carbon emissions strategies for a large carbon-based power utility. Karri was previously President of RESPEC Consulting Inc., which is a geoscience and engineering consulting company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and led the acquisition of the company in 2009, followed by the subsequent sale in 2016.
Karri holds a Bachelor of Commerce (with Honours) in Finance from the University of Saskatchewan and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Director designations. In addition, Karri has several leadership and professional training certifications in ESG investing, corporate governance, leadership, strategy, and risk.
