Frozen food company McCain Foods has invested more than C$65m ($51.5m) in TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture and its subsidiary GoodLeaf Farms.

With this investment, McCain Foods has become the single largest shareholder in the firm.

based in Nova Scotia, GoodLeaf Farms is a commercial vertical farming company in Canada.

This investment is part of its strategy to drive innovation in the Canadian agri-food sector.

With this investment, GoodLeaf will establish a sustainable vertical farms network in the country, which will bring fresh, nutritious and locally grown food to more Canadian consumers.

GoodLeaf intends to set up two more indoor vertical farms, which will each be dedicated to serving the grocery and foodservice networks in eastern and western Canada.

McCain chief growth and strategy officer Peter Dawe said: “At its heart, McCain is an innovative agricultural company.

“This is why we’re excited to support the growth and scale-up of this Canadian startup that lives at the intersection of food, agriculture and technology.

“GoodLeaf’s vertical farm technology creates spring and summer growing conditions in Canada year-round, growing local, fresh, healthy and tasty leafy greens instead of being trucked long distances into Canada. We are thrilled to contribute to bringing GoodLeaf’s delicious produce to Canadians across the country.”

Located in Guelph, Ontario, GoodLeaf’s first commercial farm is equipped with specialised LED lights and hydroponics. The firm grows five microgreens, including spicy mustard medley, Asian blend, micro arugula, pea shoots and micro radish.

The facility also grows three baby greens, notably ontario baby arugula, ontario baby kale and ontario spring mix, for the domestic market all-year-round.

GoodLeaf CEO Barry Murchie said: “There are so many reasons why a partnership with McCain makes sense for GoodLeaf.

“We share a keen interest in providing delicious food for Canadians while making farming more sustainable. Our vertical farm technology is a true gamechanger for Canadian food.”