Bringing transparency to your table: How TheoryMesh is revolutionizing food supply chains

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Imagine walking into your local grocery store, picking up a package of beef, and with a simple scan of a QR code, you uncover a treasure trove of information: where the cattle were raised, what they were fed, and how sustainable the farming practices were.

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This is the future that TheoryMesh, a groundbreaking agtech startup based in Winnipeg, is striving to make a reality. Their mission is clear: connect consumers with the stories behind their food, ensuring everyone knows where, how, and under what conditions their food is grown — a lifeline for those with food allergies and dietary concerns.

“At TheoryMesh, unlike other companies that provide estimates, we track real-time data. We monitor every fertilizer application in the field, every box received by a food company, and every product shipped out, offering precise tracking and improvement recommendations,” says Chris Bunio, co-founder of TheoryMesh.

“What started as a quest for traceability, especially for food allergies, has evolved as sustainability became a dominant concern among customers. Now, nearly all our conversations revolve around sustainability,” Bunio adds, highlighting the company’s shift towards providing detailed, real-time sustainability metrics.

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In 2021, co-founders Bunio, Stephanie Westdal, Paul Westdal and Anne Kirk, embarked on a journey to integrate advanced data collection into the fabric of Canadian farming and food supply chains. The inspiration? Bunio’s personal battle with a gluten allergy, coupled with the pandemic’s strain on food supply vulnerabilities.

Crops were being grown, but the pandemic-induced worker shortages dramatically slowed the processing centres, leaving consumers puzzled by the sudden disappearance of products from store shelves. This stark reality ignited TheoryMesh’s resolve to digitize operations and enhance transparency across the food supply chain.

Bunio notes that transitioning from a corporate environment to a startup was daunting, even with extensive technology and business experience. However, the programming at North Forge, a Manitoban tech incubator, proved to be a game-changer.

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“The training, especially the business model canvas process, was instrumental in focusing on essential tasks,” he said.

After leaving Microsoft, Bunio found himself drifting into non-value-adding activities, but North Forge’s guidance and feedback redirected his focus towards what truly mattered for TheoryMesh’s success.

With the tools and network provided by North Forge, ElevateIP and other organizations, Bunio and his team have turned TheoryMesh’s vision into reality. Their impact is already tangible, having forged partnerships with industry leaders like CunicFarms and EcoDairy.

Recently securing more than $1.2M in funding, their innovative QR code technology will soon grace grocery store shelves, offering consumers instant access to comprehensive sustainability metrics such as food miles travelled and greenhouse gas emissions — data that’s securely stored using blockchain technology and optimized through machine learning.

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Looking ahead, TheoryMesh is excited about the future and is committed to helping consumers make informed choices about their groceries. Their vision to bring unparalleled transparency and efficiency to the consumer’s shopping experience with clear, accessible data is at the heart of TheoryMesh’s mission to empower consumers.

To learn more about TheoryMesh and its innovative solutions, visit www.theorymesh.ca. To explore how North Forge can help take you from ideation to acceleration, visit www.northforge.ca.

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