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Mobile: +1 (647) 861-7723
Email: press@thegrowcer.ca

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Growcer CEO Urges Senate to Recognize Food Infrastructure as Critical to National Resilience
Growcer CEO Urges Senate to Recognize Food Infrastructure as Critical to National Resilience

Corey Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Growcer, testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry today, making an urgent case for federal recognition of food infrastructure as essential to Canadian sovereignty and security.

Op-Ed: Food Sovereignty is Economic Sovereignty: Why Budget 2025 Makes the Case for Local Food Systems
Op-Ed: Food Sovereignty is Economic Sovereignty: Why Budget 2025 Makes the Case for Local Food Systems

Budget 2025 has created space for a bigger conversation about what sovereignty actually means in practice. The government understands that secure supply chains matter. They understand that infrastructure investments need to serve communities for generations. They understand that resilience means reducing dependence on systems we don't control.

What if we applied that same thinking to food?

Ottawa Mission Launches Local Vertical Farm to Feed Thousands Thanks to RBC and Growcer Support 
Ottawa Mission Launches Local Vertical Farm to Feed Thousands Thanks to RBC and Growcer Support 

The Ottawa Mission, RBC and Growcer announced today a new initiative to grow healthy, fresh, locally produced greens for use in The Mission’s meal programs to serve to vulnerable community members across the City of Ottawa, using Growcer’s modular vertical farms. 

Growcer Applauds PM Carney's Historic $1B School Food Investment, Calls for Continued Infrastructure Investment
Growcer Applauds PM Carney's Historic $1B School Food Investment, Calls for Continued Infrastructure Investment

"Prime Minister Carney's commitment to permanent school food funding is transformational for Canadian children and communities," said Corey Ellis, Co-founder and CEO of Growcer. "This represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not just feed students, but to build the infrastructure that enables communities to feed themselves."

How We’ve Grown

Growcer’s story started in 2015 when co-founders Corey Ellis and Alida Burke were students at the University of Ottawa. Through Enactus uOttawa, a student club focused on social entrepreneurship, they travelled to Iqaluit, Nunavut and experienced firsthand the sticker shock of northern groceries and the complex realities of food insecurity in remote communities.

The idea was simple: what if communities could grow their own food, year-round, no matter the climate?

Growcer was founded in 2016 and Corey and Alida installed their first modular farm capable of producing fresh greens in temperatures as cold as -40°C. It worked. And it sparked something bigger.

Growcer expanded across North America, partnering with Indigenous nations, schools, hospitals, and communities who saw the same opportunity: food sovereignty, better nutrition, education and control over their own food systems. Along the way, Growcer evolved from a farming technology company into a food resiliency partner, adding inclusive training, skills development, storage infrastructure, distribution hubs, and funding support.

In 2025, Growcer acquired Freight Farms, uniting two trailblazers in modular food infrastructure to create the world's largest network of community food builders. Today, that network spans 1,000+ farms across 30 countries, including 85+ Indigenous community partnerships in North America.

Growcer is now the leading partner empowering local food ecosystems worldwide. The mission remains the same: help communities grow food and grow potential, year-round, on their own terms.

Growcer's work has been recognized with awards including Fast Company's World Changing Ideas, United Way's NextGen Award, and Clean50's Emerging Leaders. The company has also been featured on CBC's Dragons' Den and Maclean’s 2024 Power List for Climate. Co-founders Corey Ellis and Alida Burke are both recipients of Ottawa's Forty Under 40 award, honoring young business leaders whose innovation and community involvement are shaping the region's future.

Quick Facts About Growcer

Our aim is to decentralize the food system and make local food accessible for everyone.

Growcer’s growing technology was first deployed in food insecure, remote communities, but we’ve expanded to partner with schools, businesses, and non-remote communities who see value in growing food locally. Our technology is only half of what we do: our dedicated team supports customers every step of the way - from implementation to ongoing training - to make growing fresh, healthy food year-round in any climate successful.

Using business as a force for good, we feed more people while increasing fresh produce, jobs, and money, in a community from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Growcer Partnerships and Case Studies

Featured Farmers (Case Studies)
Indigenous partnerships overview

What Growers Are Saying

  • "Creating a sustainable healthy source of produce and increasing food sovereignty has long been a goal for the Squamish Nation, and Growcer is another piece of the puzzle"

    - Kelley McReynolds, director of Ayás Méńmen Child and Family Services in West Vancouver, B.C.

  • “What you put in, you get out. We put in all this time, we harvested, and we have this wonderful, fresh product to offer our members and all of the citizens of Grande Prairie and the surrounding area. Food production, just like farming, is a lot of work. But the rewards are amazing.”

    - Shelley, lead grower for New Horizon Local Garden in Grande Prairie, AB

  • “I saw the value of having local greens grown on campus but when we need it, which is December, January, February, so I was very excited about that idea.”

    - Maryann Moffitt, food liaison officer, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON

  • “[The restaurants tell us] we’re saving them time and money because they’re not throwing anything out and there’s so little waste!”

    - Makenzie Jones, Mnogin Greenhouse

  • “We were able to establish this vertical farm as a very quick plug-and-play solution that delivered fresh and nutrient-dense produce immediately to our community, but it also provided an accessible model for engagement with employees and for education.”

    Carey Yeoman, partnership manager at The Barrett Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Urban Agriculture

Our Founders

At Growcer, we work to support our partners in achieving year-round food production. It's more than just the technology; it's about making an impact.

Corey Ellis, CEO and Co-Founder

Born and raised in Ottawa as a Franco-Ontarian, Corey always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. He pursued a commerce degree at the University of Ottawa and became heavily involved with Enactus, a student organization dedicated to social entrepreneurship. It was during his time with Enactus that led to the conception and launch of Growcer with his co-founder Alida Burke, where they shared a desire to make a social impact through business. When he’s not building Growcer, you can find Corey building virtual worlds online or enjoying nature.

Alida Burke, CFO and Co-Founder

As co-founder and CFO, Alida, who was also born and raised in Ottawa, launched Growcer with her co-founder Corey Ellis when they were both at the University of Ottawa and heavily involved in the student entrepreneurship club Enactus. She fell into her role as an entrepreneur when she saw the impact the company was making, but still enjoys working with numbers, by leading Growcer’s operational strategy to support customers growing year-round across the country, as well as managing the company’s internal operations, human resources, and financial management. Alida is also currently completing her Masters of Accounting at Carleton University. When Alida is not managing the behind-the-scenes at Growcer you can find her giving back to her local entrepreneurship community or curled up with a good book.