Locally manufactured.
Sustainably made.
Vitacore is dedicated to keeping our communities safe with sustainably made and locally manufactured personal protective equipment (PPE)
Founded and headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, Vitacore is dedicated to keeping healthcare professionals and families across Canada safe with sustainably-made PPE including masks and NIOSH-certified respirators. Releasing the first Canadian-made N95 equivalent respirator (CAN95), Vitacore is committed to advancing homegrown innovation and reducing the environmental impact of single-use PPE with Canada’s first-ever end-to-end single-use mask and respirator recycling program.
The Challenge: Scaling production and building deeper connections within the Canadian healthcare system
COVID-19 brought on many unprecedented challenges and called upon Canadian businesses to respond to emerging needs through innovation. For Vitacore this meant expanding their product line to respond to the growing demand for locally manufactured PPE. Looking to address this market gap, Vitacore connected with the Accelerated Growth Service (AGS) for support scaling their production and building deeper relationships within Canada’s health system.
Throughout their AGS journey, Vitacore overcame various pandemic-related supply chain issues, connected with new partners overseas, and contributed to Canada’s COVID-19 prevention efforts. Ever focused on sustainability, support from AGS also helped Vitacore expand its PPE recycling program through a pilot partnership with Saskatoon City Hospital – an initiative that has since sparked conversations with hospitals across Canada. To date, Vitacore’s recycling program has collected the equivalent of 8.8 million masks and respirators which would have otherwise been discarded as waste.
How we’re helping them
grow their business
Support for U.S. expansion
Vitacore is working with Export Development Canada’s (EDC) trade advisory group to establish a foreign subsidiary in the U.S. to support their international market expansion.
Funding for R&D projects
Funding from the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), helped Vitacore to establish two new products including a new line of air filtration products.
Referrals to the right strategic partners
Support from CAN Health Network helped Vitacore build deeper relationships in the health system and establish a new recycling pilot project in Saskatchewan, leading to further introduction with hospitals across Canada.
Supply chain and importing support
Support from Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Commissioners Service helped Vitacore overcome various pandemic-related supply chain issues by connecting them with several Trade Commissioners overseas.
With the support of
AGS partners
- Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service (TCS)
- Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Program
- National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP)
- Export Development Canada (EDC)
- Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
- Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan)
- Canadian Commercial Corporation
- CAN Health Network
We're also helping
them get
- Equipment purchase financing from BDC
- Global expansion support from TCS’ CanExport SME Program
- Application tips for government-funded programs
Because they’re helping
to build our economy by
Creating Jobs
Promoting Sustainability
Growing Fast
Increasing productivity
Think you’re AGS ready?
Get in touch
Call us, toll-free in Canada, at 1-833-201-4358 |TTY: 1-866-694-8389, or send us your details and we’ll get back to you.
Looking to find all the other ways government can help you grow, scale or take it global? Check out innovation.canada.ca to find the right supports for your business.