Zest is a shared processing space where local food businesses can produce their products and benefit from vast community experience. By eliminating the need to purchase cost-prohibitive food processing equipment, the food hub incubates new businesses. Both current and new businesses can expand their operations and take advantage of new market opportunities through the food hub.

This model offers multiple ways to engage—from committed anchor tenants to small contract users to community partners. In addition, it cultivates relationships between new and existing businesses, creating opportunities for mentorship and information sharing, which form the foundation of the Zest Network.

The Shuswap is home to numerous established and emerging food and beverage businesses. However, affordable and accessible processing, packaging and research facilities to support value-added product development was identified as a critical supply chain gap. With substantial community and provincial support, Salmon Arm Economic Development Society (SAEDS) developed the Zest Commercial Food

Hub to address this local food processing gap. Creating a financially sustainable hub that will help support a resilient, accessible and expanding community food system is the vision of Zest Commercial Food Hub.