Outcast Foods

Outcast Foods, established in Halifax, Canada, in 2017, operates as a food technology company focused on upcycling surplus produce. The company was founded by Dr. Darren Burke, a former university professor with a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology, and TJ Galiardi, a former professional NHL player. Dr. Burke's background includes founding and successfully exiting a sports nutrition brand, while Galiardi brings his experience as a professional athlete and an active angel investor. Their joint venture stemmed from a shared interest in tackling the significant issue of food waste.

The company's core business revolves around diverting cosmetically imperfect or surplus fruits and vegetables from landfills. It partners with farms, grocers, food processors, and manufacturers to acquire this unwanted produce. Using a proprietary, patent-pending drying process that utilizes innovations in machine learning, Outcast Foods transforms this produce into nutrient-dense, long-shelf-life powders and whole food pieces. This process is designed to retain higher levels of nutrients, color, and flavor compared to traditional high-heat dehydration methods.

Outcast Foods serves a business-to-business (B2B) market by selling these upcycled ingredients to other food companies for use in a wide array of products, including natural health products, meat alternatives, pet food, soups, baby food, and cosmetics. Additionally, the company markets its own line of branded consumer products, such as protein powders and super greens, which are sold in retail locations like SportChek. Revenue is generated from the sales of both its sustainable ingredients to other businesses and its direct-to-consumer product line. The business model aims to reduce food waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and create a more sustainable food supply chain.

Since its inception, Outcast Foods has achieved several significant milestones. Originally known as Beyond Food, the company secured a $1 million angel round in early 2019, followed by a $3 million financing round in January 2020. A major funding achievement occurred in February 2021, when the company closed a $10 million Series A round co-led by District Ventures Capital and BDC Capital. These funds were earmarked for scaling operations, including expanding its Dartmouth facility and constructing a new, larger plant in Southern Ontario to increase production capacity and pursue international clients.