By Editor, AgInvesting Media

Mondelez Canada Inc. has announced a strategic capital investment in Area One Farms Fund V, a Canadian farmland investment strategy that partners directly with growth-oriented family farms.

Facilitated through the global Mondelēz Sustainable Futures Impact Investment platform with advisory support from impact investment firm Sagana, the investment is designed to strengthen Canada’s agricultural supply chain, support local farming communities, and accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture across the country.

Supporting Canadian Family Farms Through Equity Partnerships

Unlike traditional farmland investment models where institutional investors acquire land and charge farmers fixed rent, Area One Farms operates on a shared-equity partnership model. Area One Farms invests alongside local farmers as a co-owner, providing growth capital and mentorship to help them expand operations, acquire land, improve underproductive acreage, and invest in modern infrastructure and technology, such as precision agriculture, irrigation, and drainage systems.

“Most farmers who want to grow are not short of skill or opportunity. They are short of growth equity,” said Joelle Faulkner, CEO at Area One Farms, in the press release.

“We invest as a co-owner, supporting them with capital and mentorship to scale and innovate. Mondelez understands that a resilient supply chain starts on farms that are financially strong enough to invest in their soil and in the next generation, and this investment lets us do that work with more farming families across Canada.”

This co-ownership approach aims to ensure Canadian farming families retain an ownership stake in their land and can systematically increase their equity over time. By easing access to capital, the model helps preserve multi-generational family farm ownership while scaling farm operations to meet growing national food demand.

Overcoming Financial Barriers to Regenerative Farming

Beyond land and infrastructure expansion, the partnership addresses a critical challenge facing modern agriculture: funding the transition to regenerative farming.

Area One Farms provides working capital, equipment funding, and specialized agronomic advice to help producers adopt practices like reduced tillage, cover cropping, soil health management, input efficiency, and climate resilience.

By sharing both the financial costs and risks associated with these transitions, the investment enables producers to implement practices that enhance soil health and water management without risking operational stability. The goal of this approach is to ensure sustainability efforts deliver both environmental stewardship and long-term economic viability.

Strengthening Canada’s Food System and Supply Chain Resilience

For Mondelez Canada—the country’s second-largest snacking company and maker of iconic brands such as Cadbury, Oreo, Ritz, and Sour Patch Kids—investing in local agricultural resilience directly safeguards the supply chains essential for its five manufacturing sites across the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area.

“As a company, we know that investing in Canadian agriculture helps strengthen the foundation of a resilient Canadian food system and the agricultural supply chains that are essential to food manufacturing in Canada,” shared Naniss Gadel-Raab, President, Mondelez Canada, in the release.

“Our commitment to Canada extends beyond the products we make; it includes supporting the farmers, families and communities that are helping build a stronger, more sustainable food system.”

Timed alongside the International Day of Women Farmers, Gadel-Raab added that the investment serves as “a meaningful way for us to recognize and support the important role women are playing in shaping the future of Canadian agriculture.”

Scaling Social and Environmental Impact Across Canada

Area One Farms currently manages over C$800 million in assets across more than 50 farm partnerships and 200,000 acres. Mondelez Canada’s capital commitment will enable Area One Farms to expand its footprint to additional farming families across Canada, driving both increased crop production and measurable social and environmental progress across the nation’s food ecosystem.

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