Just Food Ottawa

What Just Food Ottawa does

Just Food Ottawa is a non-profit, community-based organization established around 2003 (with some sources citing 2006) that works on rural and urban food and farming issues across the Ottawa region and surrounding eastern Ontario / western Quebec. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs from a physical hub — the Just Food Community Farm, a multi-tenant farm site located in the National Capital Commission's Greenbelt approximately 12 km east of Parliament Hill in Blackburn Hamlet. Core offerings include the Start-up Farm Program (subsidized land access and shared infrastructure for new farmers), the Community Gardening Network (city-wide garden support and the Community Garden Development Fund), the Ottawa Farm School (agricultural training delivered in English, French, and Arabic), the New Roots program for New Canadians, the Food Futures Youth Council, the Ottawa Seed Library Network and Seed Saving events (including SeedLing Saturday), and the Savour Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide / Good Food Link online resource directory. The organization also hosts the Just Food Farm Stand (a Sunday direct-to-consumer market in Blackburn Hamlet) and a Red Barn community events space.

The business model is a hybrid of non-profit funding streams rather than a product/SaaS revenue model. Primary inflows are grants from foundations and government (notably a $246,800 Ontario150 Community Capital Program award via the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2017, plus McConnell Foundation and Growing Forward 2 support), municipal funding from the City of Ottawa, individual and corporate donations, and modest fee income from paid workshops and events (e.g., $35 miniature vegetable box workshop, $85 floral arranging, $100 sourdough workshop, $200 Start-up Farmer Training Series, with sliding-scale and free programming to maintain accessibility). There is no proprietary technology platform; operations run on a standard website (justfood.ca), MailChimp email newsletters, and consumer social media channels.

The organization is led by Executive Director Moe Garahan and Associate Director Phil Mount, with Patricia Ballamingie as Board Chair, and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Strategic partners include the National Capital Commission (federal land partner), the City of Ottawa (founding member of the Emergency Food Security Response Task Force), the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Bullfrog Power and Beau's Brewing Co. (renewable-energy demonstration partner), National Farmers Union, Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard, Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre, Mountain Path, the Ottawa Food Hub / Ottawa Kitchen, and Ecocert (organic certifier).

Name

Just Food Ottawa

Legal name

Just Food

Website

https://justfood.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Just Food Ottawa is a non-profit, community-based organization that supports sustainable food and farming in the Ottawa region by operating the Just Food Community Farm, the Start-up Farm Program, the Community Gardening Network, farmer training (Ottawa Farm School / New Roots), seed saving, and the Savour Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide for farmers, gardeners, and community members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Food Systems Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Community gardening
• Urban agriculture
• Farmer training
• Food security
• Seed saving

Headquarters

HQ city

Gloucester

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Just Food Ottawa is a nonprofit organization that raises funds through donations from individuals, foundations, and government sources. The organization actively campaigns for donations on its website and at events. It also receives funding through government programs and partnerships with foundations.
2. Workshop and Event Fees: Revenue is generated through paid workshops and events offered to the public, including cooking classes, floral arranging workshops, farmer training series, and other educational programming. Fees vary by event (e.g., $85 floral arranging, $100 sourdough workshop, $35 mini workshop, $200 Start-up Farmer Training Series).
3. Community Garden and Farm Support Services: The organization provides support services to community gardens and new farmers, including the Community Garden Development Fund (grant funding) and the Start-up Farm Program which offers subsidized land access and shared infrastructure to new farmers in the Ottawa region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Just Food Ottawa is a non-profit community organization that supports sustainable food and farming systems in the Ottawa region through land access, farmer training, community gardening, youth engagement, seed saving, and food policy advocacy. It runs the Just Food Community Farm as a multi-farm incubator, the Start-up Farm Program for new farmers, the Community Gardening Network, and the Buy Local Food Guide/Savour Ottawa directory. Programming includes paid workshops, free community events, and subsidized training for new Canadians.

Product overview

Just Food Ottawa is a non-profit community-based organization (not a technology company) that operates multiple interconnected food security and farming programs. The core offerings include the Just Food Community Farm (land access for farmers), the Start-up Farm Program (training and infrastructure for new farmers), the Community Gardening Network (supporting urban gardens city-wide), the Buy Local Food Guide/Savour Ottawa (local food promotion portal), Ottawa Farm School (educational programs), Food Futures Youth Council (youth engagement), Seed Saving Projects (Ottawa Seed Library and related events), New Roots (training for New Canadians), and the Good Food Link (resource directory). These programs work together to support local food systems, urban agriculture, farmer training, and community food security across the Ottawa region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Just Food Community Farm A community farm hub in the Capital Greenbelt, 12 km east of Parliament Hill, providing land access and shared infrastructure to multiple start-up farm businesses in the Ottawa region.
• Start-up Farm Program
• Ottawa Farm School (Start-up Farmer Training Series)
• Community Gardening Network
• Seed Saving Projects and Events
• Food Futures Youth Council
• New Roots Program
• Plant-a-Row, Share-a-Row
• Buy Local Food Guide / Savour Ottawa
• Good Food Link
• Just Food Farm Stand

Quantifiable outcome

• Emergency food security fund potentially up to $1 million
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Farmers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026The National Farmers Union partnered with Just Food to co-present the public screening of the documentary 'The Hands That Feed Us' on June 25, 2026 at the Just Food Community Farm. The event included a discussion with the filmmaker Devon Cooke. This partnership positions Just Food within the national agricultural advocacy community and connects its farmer constituency with broader food policy conversations.
• Gloucester Emergency Food CupboardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2025Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard partnered with Just Food and the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre to co-host the 4th annual Fall Farm Fest on September 28, 2025 at the Just Food Community Farm. Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard also runs the Community Greenhouse program at the farm and participates in weekly community days. This partnership connects food security programming with local farming.
• Eastern Ottawa Resource CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2025Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre partnered with Just Food and Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard to co-host the 4th annual Fall Farm Fest 2025, providing programming including a corn roast. EORC is a social services organization providing community support across eastern Ottawa.
• Bullfrog PowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBullfrog Power partnered with Just Food and Beau's Brewing Co. to install a 10kW solar panel system and shed at the Just Food Farm, demonstrating renewable energy as an ingredient in sustainable and organic farming. Just Food was nominated for the 2018 Powering for Prosperity Awards for this project.
• Beau's Brewing Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeau's Brewing Co. partnered with Just Food and Bullfrog Power to fund and support the installation of a 10kW solar panel system and shed at the Just Food Farm as part of a commitment to normalize sustainable food and farming practices in the Ottawa region.
• Ottawa Food Hub / Ottawa KitchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJust Food partnered with Mountain Path and the Ottawa Food Hub/Ottawa Kitchen on food distribution and traceability system enhancements. The Ottawa Kitchen component provides shared commercial kitchen space for food businesses, while the Ottawa Food Hub focuses on increasing regional producers' access to retail stores and institutional purchasers.
• National Capital Commission (NCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Capital Commission is the federal agency that manages the Greenbelt where the Just Food Community Farm is located. Just Food has a partnership arrangement with the NCC for the farm site, and the NCC acknowledged the Just Food barn renovation as supporting the preservation of the Greenbelt's agricultural heritage.
• Ottawa Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJust Food partnered with the Ottawa Public Library's à la carte Food Literacy Project, which won the Minister's Award for Innovation at the Ontario Public Library Service Awards. The project brought together food literacy programming connecting local chefs, gardeners, community organizations, and the public library system.
• EcocertminorOthersJust Food Farm became certified organic through Ecocert in October 2014. The farm is currently transitioning to a self-certification model based on years of experience in training for organic certification. Ecocert is an international organic certification body.
• City of OttawacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Ottawa is a key partner for Just Food, with the organization advocating for and contributing to municipal food policy including community gardening on City land, urban agriculture bylaws, and the establishment of an emergency food security fund. Just Food was a founding member of the Emergency Food Security Response Task Force.
• Regeneration CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegeneration Canada co-presented a farm-to-table dinner and harvest celebration event at the Just Food Community Farm on October 1, 2023, featuring speakers on regenerative agriculture, equitable land access, and community food models.
• Filmmaker Devon CookeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilmmaker Devon Cooke created the documentary 'The Hands That Feed Us' which explores why farming is economically challenging for Canadian farmers. Just Food and the National Farmers Union partnered to co-present a public screening of the film at the Just Food Community Farm on June 25, 2026, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Just-Food/111353395601762
• Xtwitter.com/JustFood_Ottawa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/just-food

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Just Food Ottawa