Over the years since the inception of the SSFPA in 2002 it has been clear that the majority of our members are women. It has also been clear that women face more problems financing their businesses. Without adequate financing, their businesses and their personal financial security is in jeopardy. In 2018 an opportunity to delve into all aspects of these problems came up. The Status of Women Canada (now Women and Gender Equality Canada) asked for proposals of how to improve women’s economic security. A proposal from the SSFPA was submitted and approved for 3 years’ funding. This website will contain all the results of the work done to uncover the fundamental problems as well as to show how we are working towards mitigating them. Throughout the website, when you see ‘we’ that means the women involved in driving this project forward—the Project Managers, the Steering Committee and those on the Advisors Panel. When we speak to ‘you’, we mean any woman small scale food processor interested in more fully understanding the roots of her own challenges in the business. (We do however, welcome anyone (men included) to this site, because the information can be seen to be of value to anyone pursuing a small scale food business!)
