At the heart of Surch Foods is a bold idea. The food industry deserves a better way to connect. That idea came from Sylvia Bennett, our founder, a Product Developer with over 17 years in the food industry. Her first 13 years, she specialized in Private Label, Product Development at 2 Canadian Retailers and the past 4 years were spent in Research and Development in Bakery Manufacturing. She holds a degree in Food and Nutrition, certificates in Baking and Culinary Arts, Artisan Bread Baking and Food Science.

As a Starter Company Plus grant recipient and Toastmasters International member, Sylvia continues to strengthen her entrepreneurial mindset while refining her leadership and communication skills. Her unique blend of retail and production experience gives her a deep understanding of both customer and supplier needs. She’s committed to optimizing business operations, fostering efficiency, and delivering innovative solutions that drive growth and success across the food industry.

With every project, every supplier conversation, and every product launch, Sylvia saw the same bottleneck again and again: finding the right supplier wasn’t just hard - it was broken.

It all started back in 2018, when she asked her sourcing manager where to look for a clean label angel food cake supplier. The answer? A shrug. That moment stuck. She had bought a car on kijiji in 2012. Why, in a world where we are trained to shop online for everything from mutual funds, to cars, to houses and even dating was it still impossible to find food industry suppliers with a simple search?

Fast forward to 2023, and nothing had changed. Sylvia had moved into R&D and her procurement team was caught short on an ingredient. She asked the question again, hoping for a different answer this time. Her team member responded with 'there really isn't anywhere'. But they knew a guy and if didn't work, they had an old business card to try. It wasn’t just inefficient, it was ineffective and it was holding the industry back. Buyers were limited to who they knew, and incredible suppliers, especially smaller suppliers remained invisible.

Sylvia knew there had to be a better way. And so, Surch was born.

Surch exists to level the playing field. It connects buyers with suppliers in an effective, efficient, and intuitive way. It brings visibility to the invisible. It gives every supplier, no matter their size - a chance to shine. Surch isn’t just a platform. It’s a movement to modernize, connect, and empower the food industry.

Born from real-world sourcing struggles and a lack of digital tools, Surch was created to give the industry what it's been missing: clarity, simplicity, and access.

Surch is a centralized, searchable space for all things B2B Food Industry: ingredients, products, packaging and consultants. Where buyers and suppliers can finally find each other with ease.

Buyers can finally search, compare, and connect in one streamlined place. Suppliers can showcase their products, tell their stories, and be discovered by the right audience. Whether you're sourcing a new ingredient or solving a supply chain shortage, Surch is your starting point.

We envision a food industry where sourcing isn’t a bottleneck, it’s a launchpad. Where tools are intuitive, inclusive, and built with an industry driven purpose.

Surch is on a mission to change how business gets done in food and we’re just getting started.

Coming soon: new platform features, supplier spotlights, community forums, trend reports, and so much more. The food industry is evolving and Surch is leading the way.

Let’s grow, together.

~ The Surch Team