Research Services
Prairie Research Kitchen offers the following services designed to meet your company’s innovation needs:
Bringing new products to market requires a variety of support. From prototype development to ingredient applications in a food service setting, we can provide you with actionable information. Customised training on equipment or techniques can be done at our location or yours. Let us know how we can support your growing organization.
Research and Development
Rapid Prototyping
New ideas and ingredients can be tested in lab to give you the answers you need to take the next steps. Does it work? Does it taste good? Is it cost effective? We can answer these questions in a stepwise approach and provide you with the answers you need to push forward or to redesign before spending more money in the development. Sometimes proving something doesn’t work is as valuable as proving it does.
Scale-up, shelf-life studies, and nutritional labelling can be done in partnership with food development centres. We work with others centres to help bring your innovations to market.
Food Service Application, Testing and Development
Our research group can prepare and compare different products under a variety of food service conditions.
Our facilities can also be used to introduce, demonstrate and market-test new products to potential customers, chefs, and/or distributors in the School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts’ restaurants or test kitchens.
Food Equipment Demonstrations
Prairie Research Kitchen offers a place to explore, test, validate and develop your ideas.
From trialing new technologies, equipment or applications related to the food consumers’ experience, Prairie Research Kitchen can help get you started.
Consumer Research
Consumer acceptance is key to successfully commercializing your food service or product. Our central location in downtown Winnipeg gives us immediate access to a large, diverse population for product feedback.
Food samples can be prepared in RRC Polytech kitchens and surveys can be delivered in the public atrium of the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute. We can also connect you with students in RRC Polytech’s International Business program to pursue market research projects in foreign markets.
Food Process Improvements
Food manufacturers require better quality, longer shelf life and more resource-efficient solutions. Food process optimization services can be done through on-site consultations or in-house experimentation.
Prairie Research Kitchen can help you analyze your current formulation or production process, identify opportunity gaps, and develop cost-effective solutions.
Clinical Trials and Product Development
Work with our multidisciplinary research team to develop appealing products that meet the needs of specific diets, or clinical trial products that are produced with commercialization in mind when selecting production methods and ingredients.
The research team will work with clinical researchers and nutritionists to develop and produce clinical trial food samples for your company.
Technical and Business Services
Student-led Recipe Development
New ingredients and extracts provide an excellent opportunity for students to work with industry partners under the guidance of experienced Research Chefs. Our culinary students learn to understand ingredient functionality and substitutions to meet formulation targets according to clients’ needs.
Clients receive consumer-friendly recipes to showcase their new ingredients.
Food Styling and Photography
We can help make your food look as good as it tastes!
Food styling has become a popular service to provide social media-ready ideas for companies to show off their impressive creations.
Photography for these projects is also conducted through paid student opportunities.
Sample Preparation / Trade Show Support
We can design and prepare a small number of samples (less than 1,000) for clients to be used for presentations, trade shows, or events on a fee-for-service basis.
This service provides students with opportunities to interact with industry, and provides you with the opportunity to showcase samples of your product developed in an inspected, registered facility by trained food handlers.
Access to Resources, Funding and More
A research partnership with the Prairie Research Kitchen opens the door to a network of resources designed to move your idea to the next level. RRC Polytech is an active, respected member of an innovation community that can help you with ingredient innovation, formulation development, identifying potential scale-up challenges, and marketing guidance – right through to supporting the product launch.
We can also help you access research funding and support your commercialization efforts by developing customer applications, consumer feedback and test samples, and digital media content through student-led projects.
Training and Knowledge Diffusion
Corporate On-site and In-house Training
Prairie Research Kitchen offers an exceptional space for you to train your staff in the use of new ingredients, cooking or preservation methods, or to meet new client needs. We come to you, or you come to us. With our flexible training solutions, your organization can benefit from Prairie Research Kitchen’s expertise to demonstrate best practices and innovative solutions to improve performance and knowledge of your staff.
Networking Events
Networking events are a great way to expand your industry knowledge, put your name out there, and establish strong partnerships.
With our technology diffusion services, we can support you in selecting and participating in networking events, trade shows, industry-specific events and symposia.
“We have partnered with [the Prairie Research Kitchen] on several occasions with great results. We look forward to new projects that bring together our scientists with the RRC Polytech chefs for the benefit of Manitoba companies and commodities. We value the input chefs bring to the innovation table.”
– Robin Young, COO, Manitoba Food Development Centre
RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dené, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.
We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.