Centre HUMAMI is a Quebec-based organization dedicated to agri-food innovation through consumer research and sensory evaluation. Launched in 2023 within Saint-Hyacinthe’s innovation ecosystem, it builds on the legacy of Cintech agroalimentaire (a collegiate technology transfer center with over 25 years of experience) to boost innovation and competitiveness in the agri-food industry. As the first sensory expertise center in Canada, Centre HUMAMI places end users – consumers, businesses, and communities – at the core of its projects and solutions. Its mission and values reflect a human-centered philosophy: collaboration, co-creation, attentiveness to needs, integrity, and the pursuit of excellence. The team encourages boldness and creativity (“Dream, try, and accomplish”) while valuing listening, transparency, and passion, in order to maximize the success and positive impact of every initiative.
As a premier center specialized in sensory analysis and consumer insight, Centre HUMAMI offers a comprehensive range of services for businesses. It brings together complementary expertise spanning scientific sensory analysis (discriminative and descriptive testing, flavor and texture profiling) and consumer behavior research, as well as physico-chemical measurements, nutrition, and public education. In practice, the Centre provides food manufacturers and processors with market research and taste-testing services to understand the perceptions, needs, and preferences of different target customer groups. Companies can leverage HUMAMI’s trained sensory panels and specialized laboratories to objectively evaluate their products – comparing formulations or packaging options, optimizing sensory quality, determining a product’s organoleptic shelf life, and more. By combining social and technological innovation, these cutting-edge services give local businesses – especially small and medium-sized agri-food enterprises – access to high-level resources and knowledge typically available only to large corporations. In this way, Centre HUMAMI serves as an accessible platform that helps companies develop more appealing, high-performing products, better understand their markets, and ultimately increase their competitiveness and commercial success.
In addition, Centre HUMAMI acts as an implementing partner for business support programs, leading various collaborative projects that address industry-wide challenges. For example, in partnership with public authorities, it guides cohorts of Quebec agri-food companies in adapting their products to meet the requirements of the public institutional market (e.g. hospitals, schools, child-care centers), thereby encouraging local sourcing and opening new sales channels for producers. Since 2022, around thirty companies of various sizes, regions, and product categories have benefited from this tailored coaching, which helps them access this market by refining their offerings and building connections with institutional buyers. Moreover, Centre HUMAMI leads social innovation initiatives to tackle strategic sector challenges. For instance, it has launched a project to help food processing businesses improve the nutritional quality of their products (reducing sugar, salt, saturated fat, and increasing fiber, etc.) while ensuring those healthier products remain profitable and well-accepted by consumers. Implemented across multiple regions, this project provides participating companies with opportunities to learn, to validate new formulations with consumers, and to share best practices – all aimed at offering healthier foods without compromising taste or economic viability.
In parallel, Centre HUMAMI collaborates with partners along the food chain (producers, processors, retailers, and community organizations) to build more autonomous and resilient local supply chains. One such initiative is focused on establishing a dedicated procurement network for food banks, with the goal of improving food security by ensuring a steady supply of quality Quebec food products in sufficient quantities.
Through these support and coaching programs – whether facilitating market diversification, product improvement, or supply chain innovation – Centre HUMAMI provides businesses with personalized guidance, practical tools, and a unique collaborative environment. The objectives of these efforts include strengthening the competitiveness and self-reliance of local enterprises, creating regional economic benefits, increasing Quebec’s food autonomy, and delivering broader societal gains such as better public health outcomes and reduced waste. By serving as a catalyst at the intersection of market needs, public policy goals, and industry know-how, Centre HUMAMI actively contributes to the sustainable growth of Quebec’s biofood ecosystem.
