We spoke with Co-Founder and CEO Sherri Belton to learn how SHER Produce is reshaping the breakfast aisle, tackling food insecurity through its Buy One, Feed One program, and proving that real, whole-food nutrition can fit into busy, everyday life.

What is your business called and what does it do?

We are SHER Produce Technologies, a women-led Canadian company behind SHER Squares, a revolutionary way to get fresh fruits, vegetables, and complete protein in a convenient breakfast or snack. 57% of consumers use Sher Squares for Breakfast. SHER Squares can be eaten on their own, toasted, or paired with yogurt, and they are sold refrigerated in the produce section.

What made you want to do this work?

We wanted to make real, whole-food nutrition easier for real life, and while people can eat healthier and gain “affordable nutrition,” we also wanted to help out the community with our “Buy One, Feed One” program. Too many “healthy” options in the breakfast and snack aisle rely on ultra-processed ingredients and fillers, and we believe that Canadians deserve a convenient, affordable, genuinely whole-food alternative that also creates positive community impact. We NEVER use powders, syrups, concentrated or refined sugars, ONLY Whole Food Fruits and Vegetables.

What problem did you want to solve with the business?

We set out to close a major gap in the Canadian breakfast and snack aisle by creating accessible, affordable and convenient whole-food nutrition that fits into busy lives. We also wanted to prove that a food company can build impact into everyday purchasing decisions through a simple model that supports communities, reduces food waste, and creates inclusive employment.

Who are your clientele/demographics?

Our customers are people looking for convenient, nutrient-dense, whole-food nutrition, including busy professionals, parents, and students, as well as commuters and active, health-minded shoppers. We have 2-year-olds to 80-year-olds eating our Sher Squares every day and we have everyone from long-haul truckers to former Olympians and everyone in between eating Sher Squares. SHER Squares also appeal to consumers seeking clean-label options that fit common dietary needs, including gluten-free and nut-free choices, and to people who want their everyday purchases to support social and environmental impact.

How does your business make money? How does it work?

SHER Squares are sold at retail for $3.99 per package and offer 40 grams of protein, 20 grams of fibre, and four full servings of fruits and vegetables, with no additives, preservatives, gluten, or nuts, and they are Kosher certified. We also use a Buy One, Feed One model where every purchase provides a serving of nutritious food to someone in need, and we recently surpassed the milestone of donating 8 million servings to food banks across Canada. We use about 20% of our whole food fruits and vegetables that are “upcycled,” which helps keep our costs down to provide consumers with affordable nutrition.

Where in the city can we find your profession?

You can find SHER Squares in the refrigerated produce section at major retailers, including Loblaws, Sobeys, Zehrs, Farm Boy, Longo’s, and other retail partners.

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Provide the answer as well.

A great question is: “Is it truly made from whole foods, and where does the nutrition come from?”

The answer should be clear and specific: SHER Squares are made from 95% fresh fruits and vegetables, and the remaining 5% of the product is egg whites and whey protein. These ingredients provide a complete protein, which is critical for all of us to get in our diets. Each package, which is sold for $3.99, contains 40 grams of protein, 20 grams of fibre, 4 full servings of fruits and vegetables and contains NO additives, preservatives, gluten or nuts, concentrates, or ultra-processed fillers.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part is knowing our product helps average people get affordable nutrition while also doing good for society through food donations, rescued produce, and inclusive employment. The worst part of what we do and pour our heart into is not having consumers fully understand what our product is all about because it is so different, so revolutionary. Unfortunately, “healthy products” are almost always dominated by ultra-processed products, so there is the question of combating misinformation. We do all this while maintaining the high quality, freshness, and operational standards required for a refrigerated, produce-based food.

What is your favourite joke about your own profession?

We like to joke that we work in “produce tech,” which sounds futuristic, but it mostly means we are finding smarter ways to help people eat more whole food fruits, vegetables and protein affordably.

Where can we follow you?

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?

Nutes Fresh-Frozen Smoothies and The Little Cacao Co. — we love them because they are also women-led organizations that are trying to make a difference in Canada and the USA.

The post Homegrown Business: Sherri Belton of SHER Produce Technologies appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Belton, a healthcare practitioner turned entrepreneur, and Sinclair, a seasoned food industry executive, had seen firsthand the growing gap between food availability and food access. In a country as resource-rich as Canada, it was surprising to learn that food banks are turning people away, and why is there not enough food?

The numbers are staggering. According to Food Banks Canada, food bank visits are at an all-time high, expected to surpass two million this month alone. And with cities like Toronto, Mississauga, and Kingston declaring food insecurity emergencies, the problem is far from needing a quick-fix.

This hit close to home for Sinclair, who grew up in Saskatchewan and relied on food banks as a child while his mother raised six children alone. For Belton, the turning point came when she struggled to find affordable, nutritious food for her own four kids. The shelves were full—but with food she believed that make you sick.

That’s where Sher Squares was born. Using real fruits, vegetables, proteins, egg whites, and chia seeds—with zero additives, preservatives, gluten, or nuts—Belton created a clean-label product she could stand behind. Not only that, for every package sold one more person will be fed through a food bank within the same community. It’s a buy-one-feed-one model that’s already made a huge difference.

Last month, Sher quietly passed a major milestone: 7.5 million people fed through food banks across Canada. And that number is about to grow. Starting this month, Sher Squares will be available in the produce sections of Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Ontario—a major step in their mission to make nutritious food more accessible.

While donating to food banks is a noble cause, for Sher Produce Technologies, it’s just one part of the big picture. Since its inception, the company has upcycled over 700,000 kilograms of fruits and vegetables that would have otherwise ended up in landfills.

“Everyone is talking about carbon footprints, but when we’ve asked more than 100 people what theirs is, no one seems to know,” says co-founder Sinclair. “How can we expect to solve climate and social issues if we don’t understand our own impact? We save one fruit or vegetable at a time from landfill.”

But Sher Produce Technologies’ mission goes far beyond food waste. At the heart of their operation is a kind and human approach to their business. The company employs adults with intellectual disabilities—including individuals with autism and Down syndrome to assemble all their packaging.

This inclusive and sustainable approach has led the company to meet five of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a rare achievement for a small business. In recognition of their efforts, Sher Produce Technologies has attracted international attention and is currently in line to receive funding from a United Nations Sustainable Development program.

“We do what we do because it’s good for business, and because we believe food brands should impact society in a far more meaningful way than just delivering products,” Sinclair explains. “It hasn’t always been easy, but we hope our story offers hope and inspiration to other small Canadian businesses navigating these uncertain times.”

So, with all the economic uncertainty coming from the US, how has it impacted their business already? Sinclair tells us their business plan was looking to expand to border States such as Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania. But now they are much more focused on a Canada first approach.  “We’re hopeful that the current Buy Canadian trend isn’t just a blip and that the large retailers we work with will continue to support us.  We can’t put up Canadian made signs by our product fast enough at Foodlands, Sobeys, Longos, Farm Boy, Goodness Me, Healthy Planets, Ambrosia, Remark and now Shoppers Drug Mart.”

Belton is hopeful the demand among consumers for Canadian products will lead more retailers here to stock their shelves with innovative homegrown products like Sher.  “Over the years, Canada’s retail grocers have sometimes been more risk adverse due to the consolidated nature of the industry where three large grocery chains control over 80% of the traditional grocery stores,” says Belton.  “US retailers are more aggressive in order to compete in their markets. In the United States, they value innovation to compete in their markets while Canadian Retailers are less innovation driven due to the consolidation. That’s why we are hopeful the current demands of consumers for products from Canada will shift the focus to local and Canadian Brands. This tariff war, which is no question a crisis, creates a once in a generation opportunity for small businesses like ours.”

How it all affect their supply chain? “In terms of our ingredients and the US, we have always sourced where we can Canadian Fruits and Vegetables and Canadian Growers to provide the majority of the ingredients to produce our Sher Squares.  But obviously Canada is not able to grow avocados or bananas. Even the out of Canada sourcing comes more and more now from Mexico and Central America rather than the United States,” says Belton.

What does thinking bigger mean? Sinclair tells us they’re now looking for distributors in Europe and Asia. “The first step has been to expand in Canada and now we are really looking at a global reach for our unique, Canadian made and proprietary technology.”

Long term plans may be more challenging but they remain hopeful. They have a product pipeline that will allow them to sell both a more affordable product as well as a premium product including a “Sport” Square for elite athletes and a Vegan option. Belton believes that they aren’t limited to what they can do. “We can use every type of taste profile globally both sweet and savoury. From Bok Choi and Ginger to Tex Mex.”

What does the United Nations’ recognition mean for this Canadian business?

“We are thrilled to receive the recognition from the UN for the work we do so more Canadians can learn about us and how we donate to food banks for every sale (7.5 million servings in 13 years), upcycle hundreds of thousands of kilograms of fruits and vegetables that otherwise would have ended up in landfills and work with mentally challenged adults to package our product in our facility every week,” said Belton.

Belton and Sinclair believe Canadian companies are more than capable of competing—and winning—on the world stage. But it starts with a shift in mindset to think bigger.  It also takes bold action, and they will continue to move forward — one square at a time.

The post Sher Produce Technologies tackles the economic uncertainty – one square at a time appeared first on Toronto Guardian.