In this exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Francis Cooke, President and CEO of Taste of Nature Foods Inc. (TONFI), shares how the Toronto-based company has become a global leader in healthy snacking. With its flagship Taste of Nature Organic brand and strong private label partnerships, TONFI combines innovation, quality, and purpose. Under Francis’s leadership, the company has earned recognition as one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies and a Certified B Corp, reflecting its commitment to people, planet, and progress.
Francis Cooke is the President & CEO of Taste of Nature Foods Inc. (TONFI), a healthy snack food developer and manufacturer based in Toronto, Canada. TONFI operates across contract manufacturing, private label and its own in-house brands, most notably the Taste of Nature Organic brand, with products distributed throughout Canada, the U.S., most of Europe and parts of Asia. Before joining TONFI as CEO, Francis built a diverse global career as a strategy consultant, board member, private equity investor, and corporate lawyer in New York, London, Sydney and Toronto.
Taste of Nature Foods Inc. (TONFI) has evolved into a leading partner for private label and contract manufacturing in the healthy snack category; what unique advantages do your customers gain from collaborating with your team versus industry peers?
We believe we have developed a unique positioning within the healthy snacking innovation and manufacturing space. Our strength comes from a deep and very talented team that combines long-term tenure at TONFI with lengthy experience in the industry. We place a strong emphasis on food safety and quality, supported by a highly skilled R&D and Regulatory team. Our manufacturing operations, with multiple manufacturing lines, provides flexibility in product format and manufacturing MOQs.
Working across multiple segments and with a wide range of partners gives us a broad, real-time lens into the market, category trends and emerging opportunities.
But perhaps what sets us apart most is our culture. We operate with transparency, integrity, and a genuine partnership mindset. Our customers tell us they feel the difference in how we communicate and problem-solve together.
We’re proud of the recognition we’ve received in recent years—named one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail in both 2024 and 2025, certified as a Great Place to Work in 2024, and most recently, achieving B Corp certification in recognition of our commitment to people, community, and sustainability.
With healthy snacking trends on the rise, how does Taste of Nature balance its capabilities across both branded and non-branded manufacturing, and how does this influence innovation and product development in your facility?
We operate in 3 very different, but complementary, segments: (1) private label for grocery retailers, (2) contract manufacturing for other brands, and (3) our own in-house brands, notably Taste of Nature Organic, which is sold in over 30 countries around the world.
This structure gives us a unique vantage point across the healthy snacking category. Working with major retailers, global brands, distributors, and individual consumers exposes us to diverse perspectives, evolving consumer preferences, and innovation priorities. This breadth allows us to stay connected and continuously adapt to where consumer behavior is heading, and that constant flow of insight directly informs our R&D agenda and our ability to move quickly on new ideas.
Our approach to innovation is rooted in understanding the consumer and the strategic goals of our partners. For example, with Taste of Nature Organic, our focus is on organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, and kosher attributes, core to that brand’s DNA. For our private label and contract manufacturing partners, we tailor product design to their brand strategy and category needs, whether that’s plant-based protein, reduced sugar, or functional benefits. For example, with the continued rise of plant-based protein, we develop and manufacture a wide variety of protein-based products for our private label and contract manufacturing partners.
In short, the breadth of our portfolio gives us constant exposure to what’s next in snacking and the agility to turn those insights into winning products for our customers.
What are the most significant operational or market challenges you face in supporting a diverse B2B client base, and how does your approach create value for clients with varied product and regulatory requirements?
Working with such a diverse range of partners, across geographies, formats, and brand strategies, naturally adds complexity to many aspects of our business. But it also makes us stronger.
Each partner has unique needs: differing product formats and standards, labeling regulations, packaging requirements, and supply chain expectations. To support that, we’ve continued to invest heavily in our people, systems, and manufacturing processes. Our flexible manufacturing model enables us to accommodate varied run sizes, ingredient requirements, and certifications, all while maintaining the highest food safety and quality standards.
We’ve also built a cross-functional approach internally, where R&D, operations, quality, supply chain, and customer service teams collaborate closely to ensure that every partner feels well-supported. We view our customers not as clients, but as collaborators and partners, and that mindset has led to long-term partnerships that continue to grow year after year.
Of course, the broader environment has posed challenges, particularly with global supply chain volatility, inflationary pressures, and shifting trade dynamics. As an export-driven company, we’ve had to be proactive and adaptive, strengthening our forecasting, diversifying suppliers, and collaborating closely with customers to ensure continuity and reliability.
In many ways, our diversity of partners and products has been a source of resilience giving us the flexibility to pivot when markets shift and to keep delivering value across changing conditions.
Taste of Nature’s flexible model spans everything from R&D-driven concept development to scalable packaging for international distribution. What recent investments or initiatives have most transformed your B2B offerings?
Over the past several years, we’ve made significant, ongoing investments in our people, technology, and infrastructure, all with the goal of becoming a more capable, responsive, and trusted partner.
On the operations side, we’ve expanded our manufacturing capacity and invested in new capabilities that enhance flexibility and scalability. We’ve also adopted processes that improve consistency, efficiency, and traceability, all of which directly benefit our customers. On the quality and food safety front, we’ve elevated our systems with the latest technology and training.
Equally important, we’ve invested in people, expanding our R&D, quality, operations, and supply chain teams to ensure we can meet increasing demand while maintaining agility. This has allowed us to move faster on product development, support more complex projects, and strengthen our relationships with customers across regions.
Ultimately, every investment we make, whether in equipment, innovation, or people is about building a stronger, more forward-looking business that continues to earn our partners’ trust.
Finally, what advice can you share for companies looking to scale as contract manufacturers or private label suppliers in today’s competitive food industry landscape?
The first step is to be clear on your positioning, know exactly where you can create the most value and where you can’t. It’s tempting to chase every opportunity, but the companies that succeed in this space are the ones that stay true to their core competencies and focus on what they can execute best.
Second, understand that contract manufacturing and private label are relationship-driven businesses. Success doesn’t come from one-off transactions; it comes from trust, reliability, and deep collaboration. You need to invest time in understanding your partners’ strategies, constraints, and ambitions and align your processes to help them succeed.
Third, build strong foundations early. Invest in systems, food safety, compliance, and people before you scale because once growth hits, it’s too late to retrofit those fundamentals.
And finally, make use of the incredible ecosystem of support available to Canadian food manufacturers. Organizations like Export Development Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA), Farm Credit Canada, and the Trade Commissioners Service have been invaluable partners to TONFI throughout our growth journey. Their resources, insights, and networks can accelerate both domestic and international success.
Scaling is challenging, but with the right partnerships, a strong sense of purpose, and relentless focus on quality and innovation, it’s absolutely achievable.
