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About Us
The Station Food Hub Company - building a stronger local food system for Nova Scotia.
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More Than A Food Company
What is a Food Hub?
A food hub is an organization that coordinates the aggregation, processing, distribution, and marketing of food from multiple local producers. Food hubs help connect farmers with larger markets—such as schools, hospitals, retailers, and community organizations—while strengthening local food systems.
Most food hubs focus primarily on:
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Aggregating products from multiple farms
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Distribution and logistics
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Marketing local food
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Connecting buyers and producers
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Supporting regional economic development
How is the Station Food Hub Different?
Our Role In The Food System
The Station Food Hub is more than a traditional food hub. While we support local producers and connect communities with local food, we also operate as a food processing and innovation hub that creates value throughout the food system.
Value-Added Food Processing
Rather than simply moving products from farm to market, we transform locally grown produce into high-quality value-added products such as processed apples, frozen vegetables, preserves, and institutional meal components.
Reducing Food Waste
We work with producers to utilize surplus and cosmetically imperfect ("seconds") produce that might otherwise go unsold, helping farmers recover value while reducing food loss.
Supporting Farmers
By providing processing services and new market opportunities, we help producers diversify their income and extend the value of their harvest beyond the growing season.
Community Impact
Our work extends beyond commercial processing. Through the Station Learning Farm, community kitchen, food literacy initiatives, volunteer programs, and partnerships with organizations across the region, we improve access to local food while building knowledge and community connections.
Innovation & Custom Processing
We help businesses and organizations develop new products, provide co-packing and custom processing services, and explore innovative ways to strengthen the regional food economy.
We connect farms, food, and community.
The Station Food Hub is a community-focused food enterprise dedicated to strengthening local food systems. We believe every harvest has value. By partnering with local farmers, organizations, and community partners, we rescue surplus and second-grade produce and transform it into delicious, high-quality food products. In doing so, we reduce food waste, create new opportunities for local agriculture, increase access to locally produced foods, and contribute to healthier, more resilient communities.
Local Food Processing
From food processing to co-packing, we help farmers and local food businesses transform Nova Scotia-grown ingredients into high-quality, value-added products. Through innovative processing solutions, we support sustainable agriculture, reduce food waste, strengthen local food systems, and bring more locally produced foods to market.
Institutional Food Solutions
We supply schools, healthcare facilities, long-term care homes, community organizations, and other institutions with nutritious, locally processed food products. By providing reliable, value-added food solutions, we help organizations increase the use of local ingredients while supporting sustainable procurement and strengthening Nova Scotia's food economy.
Farm & Food System Partnerships
We work directly with local farmers to create value from crops that might otherwise go unused. By transforming surplus harvests into high-quality, value-added food products, we help reduce food waste, create additional revenue opportunities for producers, and keep more locally grown food within Nova Scotia's food system. Together, we're building a stronger, more sustainable future for local agriculture.
Innovation & Community Impact
The Station Food Hub believes good food should benefit everyone. Through partnerships with food banks, community organizations, and local programs, we help increase access to nutritious, locally processed food while supporting initiatives that strengthen food security and community well-being. Every product we create contributes to a food system that gives back—supporting local people, reducing waste, and helping communities thrive.
Growing With Purpose
Every expansion at The Station has been intentional. What began as a vision to reduce food waste and create new markets for Nova Scotia farmers has grown into a regional food processing hub that supports farmers, food entrepreneurs, institutions, schools, healthcare, and communities.
Today, The Station operates multiple specialized processing facilities, manufactures products for its own brands and local companies, supports food innovation through co-packing, invests in workforce development through The Station Learning Farm, and continues to build the infrastructure needed for a stronger, more resilient food system across Nova Scotia and beyond.
2019
A Vision Begins
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Purchased the former Newport Station School with a vision to create a regional food hub connecting Nova Scotia farmers with wholesale, institutional, and retail markets.
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Began designing a food processing hub focused on strengthening local agriculture through value-added processing.
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Initial products included blueberry applesauce, soups, and broths while building the foundation for future growth.
2020
Building the Foundation
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Constructed and commissioned the first commercial kitchen.
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Began renting commercial kitchen space to four local food entrepreneurs.
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Started developing value-added products using locally grown produce and second-
grade vegetables that would otherwise go to waste.
2021
Tackling Food Waste
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Entered Canada's Food Waste Reduction Challenge.
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Established a distribution partnership with Gordon Food Service (GFS).
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Delivered the first order of seasoned mashed potatoes to Nova Scotia Health in
December. -
Launched the Seniors Community Food Box Program (2021–2023).
2022
Growing Community Impact
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Opened a federally inspected kitchen dedicated to frozen value-added vegetable
processing. -
Developed frozen mashed sweet potatoes and mashed turnip products.
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Purchased the company's first refrigerated delivery truck, enabling deliveries across
Nova Scotia. -
Launched The Station Learning Farm to expand education, workforce development, and
community food security initiatives. -
Began developing products to support school meal programs.
2023
Expanding Capacity & Partnerships
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Named a Top 10 finalist in Canada's Food Waste Reduction Challenge.
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Expanded distribution through Sysco.
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Began supplying fresh sliced apples to the IWK Health Centre.
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Launched The Station's co-packing program, partnering with the first Nova Scotia food company to manufacture value-added products. This has since grown into partnershipswith five local food businesses.
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Continued expanding institutional markets while increasing processing capacity.
2024
Diversifying Production
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Opened a second federally inspected processing kitchen dedicated to preserves, soups, sauces, and shelf-stable products.
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Began producing frozen meals for local high schools.
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Partnered with Meals to Heal to manufacture medically tailored meals.
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Established a partnership with the local food bank, increasing community access to healthy, locally produced food.
2025
Strengthening the Organization
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Rebecca Tran assumed leadership of The Station Food Hub Company in March 2025.
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Continued investing in operational excellence, quality systems, and strategic partnerships to support long-term growth.
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Opened a dedicated apple processing facility to support food
programs. -
Launched Green Tomato Chow into Sobeys and Superstore locations across Atlantic Canada.
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Expanded fresh sliced apples into Nova Scotia's Provincial School Lunch Program.
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Began construction of a community kitchen through The Station Learning Farm, creating additional space for community programming, food entrepreneurship, workforce training, and educational initiatives.
2026
Building Nova Scotia's Food Infrastructure
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Acquired a commercial nut butter processing facility, expanding value-added manufacturing capabilities.
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Blended sweet potatoes added to the Nova Scotia Health provincial menu.
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Began expanding Green Tomato Chow into the Ontario market.
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Surpassed 2 million servings of rescued Nova Scotia vegetables.
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Co-packing partnerships expanded to five Nova Scotia food companies.
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Started delivering local mashed potatoes to school food vendors for the provincial lunch program
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Credit Union Atlantic (CUA) awarded a $7,500 Community Investment Grant to The Station Food Hub Company Purchasing a commercial freeze-dryer to upcycle local "imperfect" produce (like apples) into nutritious, shelf-stable snacks
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Partnered with the Station Learning Farm to launch cohort one of the new 10 week Station Skills Program to support food processing workplace learning opportunities to youth.
Meet The Team
Leadership & Administration
Rebecca Tran — Founder & CEO
Rebecca is the founder and driving force behind The Station Food Hub Company. A Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Health Administration, she brings together food, business and community impact to build new markets for Atlantic Canadian agriculture. Her vision for The Station is to create the infrastructure and partnerships that help regional food reach more people.
Justin Mackenzie — Chef & Product Development Manager
Justin brings culinary expertise and practical food-production experience to The Station. As Chef and Product Development Manager, he leads the development and refinement of products that turn Atlantic-grown ingredients into delicious, scalable food solutions for retail, foodservice and institutional customers.
Nicole Drake — Office Administration & Finance
Nicole keeps the business behind the food moving. From orders and invoicing to finance, payroll and customer support, she helps coordinate the many details that connect our customers, production team and deliveries — and keeps The Station running smoothly day to day.
Advisory & Expertise
Treasa Pauley — Agri-Food Advisor
Treasa brings extensive Canadian agri-food industry experience and technical expertise to The Station. Her background spans agriculture, food processing and food safety, and she provides strategic guidance as we strengthen our operations and grow our capacity to connect Atlantic agriculture with larger markets.
Operations & Customer Service
Tracey Sanford — Operations and Compliance Coordinator
After spending 22 years working in school cafeterias, Tracey brings an invaluable understanding of institutional food and the people we ultimately serve. At The Station, she brings that experience to our production team, helping turn regional ingredients into practical, high-quality food for schools, institutions and communities.
Jim Drake — Delivery Driver
Chances are, Jim will be one of the friendly faces you meet when your Station products arrive. He helps get our food where it needs to go safely and reliably while providing the personal, dependable service that is an important part of how we work with our customers.
The Production Team
Dave · Deanna · Elizabeth · Brittany · Gus · Gwen
Dave, Deanna, Elizabeth, Brittany, Gus and Gwen are part of the hands-on team that brings The Station’s products to life. From preparing Atlantic-grown ingredients to processing, packaging and getting finished products ready for our customers, they are at the heart of our day-to-day operations. Their care, hard work and attention to quality help ensure that every product leaving The Station is something we’re proud to put our name on.
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