Arlene Dickinson has spent years backing businesses that feed Canadians. The entrepreneur, investor and Dragons’ Den star said Canada needs to stop thinking like a “commodity nation” and more like a brand-building one. In a Q&A with the Financial Post, she discusses challenges and opportunities in the agri-food industry, why food sovereignty should be a national priority and where Canada should invest to make that happen. FP:You started District Ventures to invest in consumer packaged goods in the food and beverage and health and wellness sectors. What got you interested in the agri-food business? AD: Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, so food security was something I dealt with through my younger years and even into my married years. We were always struggling to make ends meet. I did a lot of my own cooking and my own baking and canning. So, I really understood what that’s like. Being on (Dragons’ Den) was eye-opening because all these great companies in the food space would come on with great ideas and everybody would say, “Well, you’re never going to make it because you’re going to get squashed by Procter & Gamble or Unilever.” I kept thinking, well, why is that? We’re a commodity nation. You would think that we would be able to amplify the last mile of commercialization. I started to look around and saw there was no real vehicle in Canada for investing purely in the consumer goods space. I’d made a few investments on the show and I liked the space, and I understood how important food is on everybody’s table. When I was thinking about a fund, I realized that to be successful there needed to be an ecosystem or continuum. So, I started the (District Ventures) accelerator as a not-for-profit, and then I started the (District Ventures Capital) fund separately. FP:What has investing in the agri-food and CPG sectors over the last decade taught you about the gaps and challenges in Canada’s food system? AD: We are really attuned to being a commodity nation, and that came out of a few things. For one, we had ready markets to ship to, including the U.S. And then about 15 years ago, we started to hollow out manufacturing and processing and focused on commodities. I think (agri-food) just got lost in the shuffle against energy, tech, defence and aerospace. Everything else just seemed bigger and brighter. We produce 200 per cent more food than we need, but we weren’t thinking about it from a finished goods perspective. It was always from a commodity perspective – not as a way to make money as a nation. That’s what I think has been wrong in Canada: we haven’t realized that the last mile of commercialization is where the value is. That’s where you can really start making the margin instead of being stuck with the commodity markets. FP:Where does Canada need to invest the most to reduce our dependency on imports and start making things at home? AD: We need to invest in the innovation that’s happening with entrepreneurs in the food and health sectors – taking pulse grains and turning them into high-protein or high-fiber products that could be consumed, for example – because those things are so intricately linked now. Food is medicine, right? You’re seeing this in the announcement the prime minister just made to invest back in manufacturing, processing and packing. Making sure we have the ability to actually create these products here at home seems to be coming back as a strong thesis, which is exciting for me. And then helping with export and trade agreements to make sure we can actually get the exported goods into other nations. I’m thrilled to see a national agri-food and agriculture strategy, with effort and dollars being put behind it. It’s being stood up as a strategic pillar, whereas before it was treated like a forgotten child. FP:The trade war, U.S. tariffs and geopolitical conflicts have brought sovereignty to the forefront. Why should food sovereignty be a national priority? AD: You are not a sovereign nation if you don’t control your food supply. That, I think, is just a simple truth. With all the trips I’ve taken around the world lately, you’re starting to see how important it is with what’s going on in the geopolitical realm, with food security and food supply, and as we see the wars and this stoppage of fertilizer or fuel and the supply chain getting disrupted. I can tell you that for every nation I have spoken to, food security is almost always top two in their list of priorities. If it’s a top priority for most, if not all nations, then why are we not investing our attention and (building) infrastructure to support it? FP:Last year, you wrote about the “solo, self-funded trade mission” you took to Japan, Thailand and Singapore. What stood out on your travels that could be applied back home? AD: We need to be louder and prouder about our brand and what we can provide the world and make sure that everything that leaves this country is branded as Canadian. It’s easy to say, “I’ve got canola,” but it needs to be “Canadian canola” made into these products. It needs to be elevated from a brand perspective. I think we also need to make sure that we’re supporting the Canadian brand here at home in a different way than we have been. There’s a lot of confusion about what’s Canadian and what’s not. There have been a lot of challenges at the retail level to make sure things are identified properly, and then there’s the need for manufacturing to support them. What I’ve learned in other countries is that they pay attention to it, they invest in it and they are not sitting back and waiting for another catastrophe to happen. FP:A big issue for many Canadians right now is food inflation and the price of groceries, which are influenced by several different factors. But in terms of what we can control, what do you think Canada can do to fight food inflation and rising costs? AD: You did hear the prime minister talk about some of the things (the government is) doing to help ease costs, and one of them is (investing in) greenhouses and infrastructure to ensure our production is closer to home so we’re not importing as much — which, with today’s technology, will hopefully reduce costs. It’s also just being less dependent on the U.S. markets and managing our supply chain better because we’re very much subject to what’s happening in the world. Lots of people suggest policies that could make a big difference. I’m not an economist and I don’t know enough about what will or won’t move the needle that way, but I would suggest that it’s homegrown production and supporting the manufacturing and processing of food that will help with pricing. There’s only so much we can control, but we need to control what we can. FP:Can you give me an example of what a Canadian processing and manufacturing chain looks like? AD: Three Farmers Foods is a great example. It started off as a group of farmers growing lentils, fava beans and chickpeas. They decided they were going to get into creating products using those raw ingredients. They were co-manufacturing, then they started to grow so much that they built their own facility. Now they’re exporting, they’re growing significantly, and they control that full supply chain. It’s an integrated play, and that’s where the opportunity is. FP:Your accelerator Venturepark recently hosted summits for CPG entrepreneurs in Calgary and Toronto. What advances or developments in agri-food are you most excited about right now? AD: I think this notion of food as medicine is the next stage of the evolution, where you take ingredients and commodities and raw goods that are grown under regulated conditions that ensure they’re not harmful, and tying that to the health of Canadians and citizens around the world. To me, this is the next frontier. You’re already starting to see it a little bit where people are on GLP-1s and they’re saying, “I need protein” or “I’ve got protein, but now I need fiber” and they’re starting to understand the connection between the food they’re consuming and their basic health. I think understanding that and personalizing food to the needs of the human body is the next great opportunity. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Arlene Dickinson once used grocery money to invest in stockArlene Dickinson: Canada's entrepreneurs have a strategic vision — where are our politicians? • Email: jswitzer@postmedia.com