Better Food Factory is a food incubator designed to support entrepreneurs at every stage of business development from concept to launch. Recently we sat down with (two of the) owners, William and Lizzette, to discuss their journey, the vision behind the venture and what’s cooking next.
What is Better Food Factory all about?
When we looked at the food business landscape, we noticed a gap. On one side, you had commercial kitchens that simply rented space, without much care for whether businesses succeeded or not. On the other, you had incubators that often applied a one-size-fits-all approach that didn’t reflect the diversity of food businesses out there.
Better Food Factory was created to bridge that gap. We’re a food incubator designed to support entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. Beyond offering a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen — fully equipped with professional appliances and available 24/7 — we focus on building relationships with our members. Through a membership model, we’re able to provide not just space, but also coaching, mentorship, and ongoing support.
Our members are diverse. Some start with a family recipe or a friend’s encouragement to “sell that amazing dish,” while others are already established and looking to scale. We’ve worked with everyone from home cooks making cookies or spice mixes, to catering companies, food truck operators, ethnic food brands, and packaged goods businesses.
What makes us unique is the breadth of support. Members can test a restaurant idea with our Ghost Kitchen program, fine-tune recipes through our proof-of-concept process, get extra help through staff augmentation, or even use our small-to-medium scale co-packing service to ramp up production. Whether it’s Ready-to-Eat meals (RtE) or Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Better Food Factory is a one-stop shop for anyone passionate about bringing food ideas to life.
Tell us a little about your journey to starting a food incubator.
Food has always been part of our story. Back in Venezuela, our family ran food-related businesses, so when William and I came to Canada, it was natural to explore opportunities in that space. Our very first business here was Lola’s Food, which we founded to bring Latin favourites like empanadas and tequeños to the Canadian market.
Running Lola’s Food gave us a front-row seat to the realities of starting a food business in Canada — navigating regulations, scaling production, and finding the right markets. Along the way, many other entrepreneurs began reaching out to us, asking how to launch or grow their own ideas. That’s when we realized there was a bigger opportunity: instead of focusing only on building our own brand, we could create a space to help many others succeed.
During our time with Lola’s Food, we often leaned on close friends who shared our passion for food and entrepreneurship. They supported us informally in many ways, and those early collaborations planted the seeds of a strong partnership. A few years later, when we sold Lola’s Food to pursue a new vision, those same friends, Eduardo and Flavia, joined us as trusted partners — and together, we began writing the next chapter.
That chapter started in 2020, when the four of us came together to launch three ventures: Wahu Foods, Ennato, and ultimately, Better Food Factory.
With Wahu Foods — our CPG brand — we entered the health-conscious market. In its early days, Wahu Foods operated out of a shared commercial kitchen, and that experience inspired us to create a model that could do more than just serve our own brands. Within our first year, we launched several products and gained invaluable lessons in product development, testing, production, distribution, and sales. Today, Wahu Foods continues to grow, with premium products available through wholesale channels.
This foundation shaped the vision for what Better Food Factory would become: a space to support local producers with the resources and guidance we wished we had when we were starting out.
In parallel, we developed Ennato, a Milton-based health-focused retailer and online store. The name Ennato means “buy” in a Venezuelan Indigenous language, a nod to our roots and a reminder of where our journey began. Eventually, the Ennato storefront became the home of our Ghost Kitchen program — giving other food entrepreneurs a chance to test new menus and connect with customers.
Together, these ventures in food production and retail gave us the insight, discipline, and framework to define Better Food Factory as it is today: a hub for innovation, collaboration, and growth in the food industry.
How did you go from idea to launching the business?
We wanted to make the path to success simple and clear. Our approach follows three stages:
- Concept – shaping the idea and building a solid plan.
- Development – scaling up, optimizing processes, and ensuring food safety compliance.
- Launch – bringing the product to market with the right strategy.
Along the way, we partnered with experts — food labs, scientists, process and safety consultants, marketing advisors — so our members could tap into the right expertise without starting from scratch. That mix of structure and support is what turns ideas into real, sustainable businesses.
Can you share a Milton business success story?
We’ve been fortunate to support over 100 businesses so far. Some still work from our facility; others have grown into their own spaces.
In the CPG space, a great example is TinyDots, a company specializing in ethnic frozen foods. They began with us, improved their processes, and scaled production. With steady growth in sales, they eventually opened their own facility — also in Milton — and continue to expand into new markets. Their story shows what’s possible when passion meets the right support.
On the Ready-to-Eat side, we’re very proud of the success of A Taste to Savour, a Milton-based Jamaican-style catering and events business. They’ve explored different avenues, from leveraging our Ghost Kitchen model to testing out innovative menus for their customers. They’ve now been operating from our facility for almost four years, steadily growing their presence in the local food scene.
What advice would you give an entrepreneur starting a food business?
Having a delicious product isn’t enough. Success comes from pairing great food with a solid plan. Think long-term from the start — where do you want your business to be in two or three years? Be open to feedback, seek advice, and don’t try to do everything alone. The right guidance and community can make all the difference.
What’s next for Better Food Factory?
We’re always looking for new ways to support our members. That includes forming partnerships with research labs, expanding mentorship opportunities, and adding more equipment and services to our facility.
Most importantly, we’re ready to welcome new members who share our passion for food and innovation. Our vision is to continue helping entrepreneurs in Milton — and beyond — turn their food ideas into thriving businesses.
Better Food Factory is located at 723 Main Street E | https://betterfoodfactory.ca
