A Salmon Arm agri-tech company was one of three awarded $50,000 as part of a provincial challenge.
Technology Brewing Corporation is developing a vision-guided robot capable of accurately picking, trimming and placing mushrooms in store-ready boxes.
“This funding will enable us to start helping B.C. farmers improve their harvesting efficiency using robotic automation,” said Mike Bourdeau, president and CEO, Technology Brewing Corporation.
“With a successful prototype, we will quickly progress to testing in an actual mushroom farm. This is a very large and technically challenging project with many parts. It will not only benefit the mushroom industry, but help shine a light on B.C.’s high-tech sector as well.”
This project could help get B.C. mushrooms to market quicker and help address the mushroom sector’s labour shortage.
The project will receive $50,000 from the federally and provincially funded Agritech Innovation Challenge, as well as mentorship and market validation training through Innovate BC.
The Agriculture Innovation Challenge was presented in collaboration with Innovate BC and aims to increase the efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness of B.C.’s agriculture, food and seafood industries, while providing tech companies with access to new customers and products with global market potential, the province said in a release.
