December 14, 2022 – Invest Alberta held an event with Entrepreneurship World Cup alumni IXON Food Technology in Hong Kong today to announce the company’s decision to bring $10 million and 20 jobs to Alberta when they launch a packaging innovation company in Edmonton, Alberta early next year.

Based in Hong Kong, the company developed a packing method - advanced sous-vide aseptic packaging (ASAP) - that allows meat to be stored at room temperature for as long as two years without refrigeration or preservatives. The company, led by GEN Starters Club member Felix Cheung, competed in the 2021 Entrepreneurship World Cup and finished among the top 25 finalists. 

Nearly 20 per cent of meat produced globally – close to 53 million tonnes – is lost or wasted at the retail or consumer level. IXON’s preservation technology represents an innovative advancement in sustainable, environmentally friendly, and accessible meat production and distribution. It reduces spoilage, requires less energy and water to produce than other packaging methods, and reduces the environmental footprint involved in shipping food around the world by eliminating the cold chain logistics for meat products.

The founders of IXON selected Edmonton over a number of other jurisdictions due to the region’s unique combination of world-class research, infrastructure, and network of support.

"After much traveling in July and August, we ultimately picked Alberta as the home for our first international office due to its tremendous support for start-ups, its outstanding quality meats, especially beef and pork, as well as its wealth of resources, including expertise in food safety, product development, and mechanical engineering," said Cheung, founder and CEO of the company.

IXON is a graduate of Creative Destruction Lab-Rockies (CDL-Rockies). Located at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business, CDL-Rockies brings together experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and scientists to mentor technology and science-based start-ups in their pursuit to build scalable businesses. CDL-Rockies introduced IXON to top-tier mentors, including partners from The51 Food and Ag-Tech fund, a $50 million fund investing in outlier entrepreneurs solving the planet’s most urgent food-related climate, environmental, and farming challenges.  

The51 Food and AgTech Fund arranged an Alberta tour to connect IXON with Alberta’s investment ecosystem players, including the University of Alberta, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and Edmonton Global, with each providing significant expertise in ag-tech, logistics, and infrastructure in the capital region. Invest Alberta provided tailored services as a connector to government, academia and economic development partners to make IXON’s decision to invest in the province an easy one.

“Creating a conducive climate for attracting investment and growing our economy is about having the right conditions for success in place," said the Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Alberta Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism. "IXON’s decision to come to Alberta is proof that companies from across Canada and around the world are paying attention to the economic climate we have created in Alberta. Our province provides low corporate taxes, a government that actively supports free enterprise and is committed to reducing red tape. We also offer a highly skilled and ready workforce accompanied by easy access to global markets. We are excited to see IXON come to Alberta, and we are ready to receive other organizations that are looking to grow and prosper in our province.” 

IXON is currently building a pilot automated line in Edmonton and expects to begin introducing its products, which will include Alberta beef and pork, to customers world-wide by 2024. The pilot line will have the capacity to produce four tonnes of packaged meat daily, which the company expects to increase to 20 tonnes per day and beyond once a full commercial line is in place.

IXON will continue researching and developing its food-packaging technologies, furthering Alberta’s position as the ideal place for growth and development in the food technology sector.