Welcome to the March edition of the Ottawa Business Success Snapshots blog series, where we spotlight companies that are growing in the Ottawa business community.
Whether companies are leveraging technologies to uncover new solutions or working to find new ways to get their product to more customers, each company is on a unique journey as part of Ottawa’s business community.
Continue below for updates from companies serving various markets that are finding success here in Ottawa, including Growcer and Chris’s Ice Cream.
Supporting Community-Driven Food Projects Through Growcer Fund
A leader in sustainable modular farming solutions, IO Accelerator graduate company Growcer is continuing to scale and making a positive impact once again with the recent launch of the Growcer Fund. 
Introduced early in March, the initiative is currently welcoming applications from interested farm operators through the Growcer Fund page on the Growcer website. The initiative supports and enables community-driven food security projects across Canada through a partnership that makes vertical farming and food production more affordable, accessible and scalable.
As described in a recent post, the Growcer Fund is a partnership, or joint venture agreement, between a farm operator and the Growcer Fund. Compared to the outright purchase of a modular smart farming operation, being a part of a Growcer Fund joint venture reduces the upfront costs of operation by 75%, helping to break down financial barriers preventing communities from access to fresh locally grown produce.
Through the Growcer Fund, eligible applicants get a unique opportunity to access and operate modular, vertical, smart farming solutions, ensuring year-round food production regardless of the climate challenges they may face – and without needing massive capital investment to get started.
Rootcamp: Supporting the Next Generation of Agri-Tech Entrepreneurs
In addition to the Growcer Fund, the company is also continuing to support emerging food entrepreneurs through its Rootcamp Program – an educational and mentorship-based initiative designed to give individuals hands-on experience with hydroponic farming – as well as business development.
Through a combination of expert-led training sessions, on-site workshops, and networking opportunities, Rootcamp participants learn how to build and scale their own sustainable farming ventures.
Growcer recently announced dates for all of its Rootcamp sessions in 2025, giving interested participants the opportunity to pick a date that works best for them and register. Check the website for upcoming dates.
Looking Ahead
Today, Growcer’s modular vertical farming solutions are providing fresh, locally grown produce to over 65 communities – equating to over 10 million servings of produce enabled by its cutting-edge technology.
By providing financial support and hands-on training through these initiatives, the company is ensuring that more communities have the tools and skills they need to grow fresh food locally and sustainably.
Learn More & Stay Connected:
- For those looking to learn more about Growcer and its programs, visit the Growcer Fund and Rootcamp Program on their website.
- Invest Ottawa’s services and programs help technology businesses by shortening their growth path. Learn more about Invest Ottawa’s Venture Path.
From Home Kitchen to Summer Markets – Chris’s Ice Cream is Ready to Roll
What started as a fun experiment with a dusty home ice cream maker has evolved into a growing Ottawa business with a dedicated commercial kitchen and a summer season full of potential growth and new opportunities.
Chris Levesque, owner of Chris’s Ice Cream, is on a mission to put smiles on people’s faces with his small-batch, scratch-made ice cream. And thanks to support from Invest Ottawa’s entrepreneurship programs, he’s never been more prepared for success – now fully equipped with a physical shop at 5510 Canotek Road, as well as a new commercial kitchen space nearby.
As Chris put it, he started his business “almost by fluke” as he developed flavours at home that people started to want to buy. But his business took off unexpectedly in 2020 when the pandemic put his restaurant job on pause.
“That downtime gave me the chance to make ice cream all day to keep busy and deliver in the afternoon and evening to everyone around town stuck at home,” he recalls.
Since then, his focus has been on growing his ice cream venture while staying true to his goal: “to make people happy and give them something to celebrate life’s moments.”
New Kitchen, New Opportunities
New Kitchen, New OpportunitiesChris moved into the commercial kitchen in Orleans in February, which he says opened a world of new opportunities for his business. And in addition to his traditional shop, the new space allows him to take his ice cream production to a new level.
“This will give me the ability to control my space and how my workspace is all set up,” he explains. “I also have more freezer space for stocking and a variety of new products.”
Bring Back the Bike!
Chris also added that the extra production capacity also supports the return of a once popular aspect of Chris’ business. In 2020, he licensed a bike with the city from which he could take his ice cream out to the people around the ByWard Market.
Ever since, the bike has only been used for events, but Chris explained that the boosted production from the commercial kitchen means everyone should expect to see it return this year.
“It’s a great way to get out and see people in the different neighbourhoods instead of them coming to the shop,” he said.
“The shop is located in an industrial park so unless you know about the shop and seek it out, you’re unlikely to just be driving by. The bike helps get the word out about my business and hopefully brings people to the shop,” he added. “It’s really cool to see people’s faces when I ride by.”
Growing the Business with Invest Ottawa
Chris participated in the pilot of Invest Ottawa’s E-Commerce Accelerator Program, which he says, “was an absolute blessing,” and helped him refine operations and connect with fellow entrepreneurs.
“The workshops were focused on businesses that were further along in their journey, which was very refreshing,” he says.
“We learned about solutions for our next steps of growth so we could all get a head start in the right direction instead of trying to fix those problems after they occurred.”
“It’s an amazing program for entrepreneurs that are already selling online and want to take their business to the next level,” he added.
More recently, Chris joined the first Consumer Packaged Goods Edition of Starter Company Plus, a smaller, specialized offering of the entrepreneurship program tailored to food brands.
“It was an amazing experience to have a program tailored to food brands and the issues we will face as we grow,” he explained. “Everything from branding to distribution at national grocery chains – it was a great way to learn about all the regulations and requirements we need to meet to remain compliant with the departments overseeing food safety around the country.”
Looking Ahead
With larger-sized ambitions (literally – full pints of Chris’s Ice Cream are launching this summer), Chris is planning to be everywhere this season.
“This year will be a big transition year with the new kitchen and new opportunities for growing the business,” he said. “For the last couple of years, I’ve focused most of the business in the retail shop and bringing customers to me, this year there’s a big switch to getting my name out there and doing pop-ups, farmer’s markets, and events around the whole city.”
Stay tuned for new seasonal flavours – including a special Easter lineup coming in April, and possible pop-up appearances at a Farm Boy near you.
- Follow Chris’ journey or find where to snag your next scoop at chrissicecream.com or on Instagram at @chrissicecream.
- Looking to grow your established online business and connect with like-minded e-commerce entrepreneurs? Apply to join a small, select group of peers in the E-Commerce Accelerator Program. For more info and to join the waitlist, visit the E-Commerce Accelerator Program website.
- Invest Ottawa recently launched a special Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) cohort of Starter Company Plus for entrepreneurs looking to scale their product-based businesses. For more info on how to apply, visit the Starter Company Plus page.
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