Editor’s Note: Our team has heard from various community members all the ways Revelstoke punches above its weight class. From non-profits and businesses to events, there are examples everywhere. We’re putting a spotlight on these humble brags and giving them a chance to highlight others who are making big things happen in a small town.
Cronometer, the nutrition tracking app headquartered in Revelstoke is one of the first winners of Canadian Food Innovation Network’s inaugural Foodtech Frontier Awards. Announced Wednesday, Oct. 1, Cronometer and nine other Canadian foodtech companies were named established foodtech leaders.
“From cutting-edge processing tools to smart AI solutions keeping our food safe, the companies we’re honouring today show how innovation can help the food industry grow strong in a fast-changing world — all while creating jobs, boosting the economy and putting Canada on the map as a foodtech leader,” Heath MacDonald, minister of agriculture and agri-food shared in a statement.
For the Cronometer team, the award recognizes the work that’s put the app on the stage alongside venture capitalist firms from around the world.
“It really solidifies our position as one of the leading nutrition tracking apps in the world,” Brendan Benson, Cronometer product team manager told Revelstoke Mountaineer.
Cronometer representatives will head to Vancouver for the Thursday, Oct. 9 award ceremony, and Benson is looking forward to connecting in-person with other Canadian foodtech companies.
“We’re in a very niche space,” he said. “So, it’s going to be great meeting some of these other award winners and have these industry conversations.”
What is Cronometer?
What started as founder Aaron Davidson’s side project to create a nutrition tracking app that would let him monitor every nutrition detail now boasts over 10 million users worldwide. Cronometer’s data pulls from international sources such as the Canadian Nutrient File and the Food Data Central Global Branded Food Products Database and then verified in-house. Duplicate foods are routinely purged from the database and details such as macro-nutrients and vitamins are available on all membership levels.
“A lot of people come to us when they have specific health goals in mind,” Benson said, explaining that the app can be used alongside diets, weight goals, and to help with monitoring chronic illnesses and other health needs.
The Foodtech Frontier Awards highlight innovation in production, manufacturing, food access and technology with Cronometer featured in the technology category. Nutrition tracking technology is a small club in Canada’s food landscape, and Benson said he’s honoured Cronometer is being recognized for its work within that field.
“To be nominated more with that innovative technology focus means we’re being seen for what we’re doing,” he said.
Revelstoke as a tech hub
As one of the smallest municipalities that a Foodtech Frontier Award winner operates out of, and as a town that might initially seem more focused on being an outdoor mecca than a tech hub, Revelstoke might not seem like the place to start and run an app business. But Benson argued that no other town could give Cronometer the community culture needed to succeed the way the company has.
“When you’re able to get outside and get inspired, that energy then translates to really creative work,” he said.
Revelstoke’s reputation as an outdoor recreation-focused town has brought a growing population of tech industry workers looking for that lifestyle, and Cronometer has been able to hire more locally due to that trend.
“We’re always aiming to recruit locally. It’s a challenge, but over the years we’ve been able to find some really strong people,” Benson said
Benson himself has seen the speed of Cronometer’s growth. In the seven years he’s worked for the company he’s seen the team grow from 20 employees to over 60 with nearly 40 located in and around Revelstoke, proof that Canada’s tech industry doesn’t need to be focused in larger urban centres.
The Cronometer team knows its success is tied to the support the business and team members specifically have received from town, one reason the company developed a community group within the organization to organize outreach and volunteer opportunities within Revelstoke. Successful networking within a small town requires actively giving back to the community, Benson explained.
“We’re always looking out for each other in a small town,” he said.
The calibre of Revelstoke
When asked what he thinks makes Revelstoke home to so many industry and community leaders, Benson pointed to the spirit of play within town as a key factor.
“I think that ultimately translates to high quality work in whatever you’re doing,” he said.
When asked if any business, organization or individual in Revelstoke comes to mind when thinking about leaders, Benson pointed to organizations in two staple features within Revelstoke; the care Holm Coffee is putting into Revelstoke’s coffee scene and the innovation Jackalope Bikes is building within the mountain bike industry.
“There’s some phenomenal work over there in the Big Eddy,” Benson said.
Both businesses highlight the comradery within Revelstoke for Benson, again reflecting on the support from a community that focuses on supporting one another.
“It’s the community and it’s nature. Those two factors contribute to these successful businesses that are actually thriving in these small mountain communities.”
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