Winnipeg, MB — July 2026 — Wayback Burgers Canada, one of the country's fastest-growing premium burger brands, is excited to announce its continued expansion across Ontario throughout 2027. Known for its fresh, never frozen smash burgers and hand-dipped milkshakes, Wayback Burgers is pursuing its growth nationwide. With 27 restaurants now operating across Canada—including two Ontario locations in Mississauga and Sarnia—and numerous additional restaurants in various stages of development, the brand is well-positioned for continued growth across the province. "Ontario is a powerhouse market with exceptional community pride, strong development opportunities, and a huge appetite for local ownership," said Ryan den Teuling, Director of Growth & Franchise Development for Wayback Burgers Canada. "We already have a strong foundation in Ontario, and we're actively seeking passionate franchise partners to help us bring our award-winning burgers to even more communities across the province. Prime territories across Ontario remain available, including major cities and rapidly growing suburban markets. With multiple new restaurants currently in development, Wayback Burgers is continuing to build a strong presence throughout the province. Discovery Days and business evaluations are now underway for qualified franchise candidates interested in joining one of Canada's fastest-growing burger brands.

The expansion into Ontario will target several high-potential markets, including priority cities such as Windsor, Sudbury, St. Catharine's, Kingston, Thunder Bay, Brantford, London, Sault St. Marie, Woodstock, and Peterborough. This strategic move aims to establish a strong presence and brand recognition while leveraging the company’s proven franchise model. Wayback Burgers aims to integrate into the Ontario market by offering products and services that resonate with local communities.

Wayback Burgers’ franchise model offers: A community-first approach that creates genuine local connections and is designed with a focus on unit-level performance and diverse revenue streams. The Canadian Corporate office provides comprehensive support tailored to Canadian franchisees, encompassing operations, marketing, and training. This robust support framework enables franchise owners to maintain high standards of efficiency and profitability, further enhancing the brand's reputation.

In addition to operational support, Wayback Burgers engages in strategic partnerships with developers, fuel brands, and real estate brokers to identify prime locations for new restaurants. These collaborations facilitate a smooth expansion process while ensuring that each new restaurant is situated in a high-traffic area, attracting a broad customer base. The brand's commitment to community-first initiatives fosters genuine local connections, enhancing the overall customer experience.

The company's approach to community involvement is evident through its partnerships with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and initiatives such as Burger It Forward, which aims to provide meals to food-insecure individuals. Each Wayback Burgers location also partners with a local charity of its choice, empowering franchisees to make meaningful contributions tailored to their community's needs. The company's engagement efforts aim to build connections with local communities and contribute to customer satisfaction.

As part of its growth strategy, Wayback Burgers Canada is expanding its footprint across Ontario. It currently operates two restaurants in Mississauga and Sarnia and has four additional locations under development. Through local brand-building initiatives, community involvement, and partnerships with passionate franchisees, Wayback Burgers is committed to becoming one of Ontario's premier burger destinations.

Ryan den Teuling, Director of Growth & Franchise Development for Wayback Burgers Canada, said: "Ontario represents one of the most exciting growth opportunities for Wayback Burgers in Canada. As we continue to expand, we're looking for passionate local entrepreneurs who share our commitment to great food, exceptional guest experiences, and making a positive impact in the communities they call home."

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - July 28, 2026 - Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee today announced the official opening of its new Complete Extract Solutions facility in Mississauga, Ontario. The facility is in operation and marks the company's expansion into Coffee extract solutions and a major step in its multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment plan for a strategic Coffee extract platform.

The purpose-built Complete Extract Solutions operation is housed within Mother Parkers' 320,000-square-foot Mississauga facility. It is designed to support commercial-volume production across multiple formats strengthening Mother Parkers' ability to help foodservice, retail, private-label, and industrial customers develop, test and scale cold coffee and broader coffee extract applications across Canada and the United States.

The launch comes as cold Coffee gains momentum in North American foodservice. According to Circana’s CREST® data for the 12 months ending December 2025, cold coffee servings in Canadian quick-service restaurants accounted for almost one quarter of total coffee servings, up two points from 2024; among 18-to-24-year-olds in Canadian quick-service restaurants, more than half of coffee servings were cold. According to Technomic forecasts in the Away-From-Home Beverage 2026 Update of Category Sales and Volumetrics Report, total cold coffee finished gallon volume in U.S. foodservice will grow by a 6.2% compound annual growth rate from 2025 to 2030.

At the same time, many foodservice providers, retailers and commercial customers face complexity in product development, manufacturing, quality control, format selection, storage and distribution as they look to participate in the growing cold coffee category. Mother Parkers' Complete Extract Solutions is designed to help customers address these challenges through an integrated approach that connects coffee expertise with extraction, aseptic processing and commercial-scale manufacturing.

"Complete Extract Solutions is an important milestone in the continued evolution of Mother Parkers and a result of our multi-year, multi-million-dollar strategic investment plan to build a strategic coffee extract platform," said Danielle Barran, President and CEO, Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee. "We are investing in innovation because customers need practical, scalable ways to bring cold coffee and coffee extract solutions to market with consistency, quality and operational simplicity. We are proud to build this capability in Ontario, drawing on our Canadian roots while supporting customers across North America."

Complete Extract Solutions combines coffee sourcing, roasting, extraction, aseptic processing, product development, packaging and commercial-scale manufacturing into one integrated platform. The facility is designed to support cold brew, iced coffee, coffee concentrates and other coffee extract formulations, depending on customer requirements and channel application.

Unlike traditional coffee manufacturing, the Complete Extract Solutions operation is purpose-built for liquid coffee extracts. Its aseptic processing capability allows products to be shelf stable before opening, supporting simpler transportation, storage and handling while preserving product quality and consistency. The platform helps customers move efficiently from concept and testing through to full commercial production, with the flexibility to support multiple formats and applications.

For foodservice operators, Complete Extract Solutions can support beverage consistency, operational simplicity and menu innovation. For retail and private-label customers, it can support ready-to-drink, concentrate and other coffee-based beverage formats. For industrial customers, it provides a platform for coffee extracts that can serve as ingredients or finished beverage solutions, depending on application.

The Mississauga facility demonstrates Mother Parkers' continued investment in innovation, advanced beverage manufacturing and customer-focused growth. Founded in Ontario in 1912, Mother Parkers has grown from a Canadian family business into a leading North American coffee and tea company serving major retail and to be issued on July 28, 2026, 11 am ET foodservice customers. Its capabilities include sourcing, roasting, blending, product development, sensory evaluation, market and consumer insights, innovation and manufacturing across Canada and the United States.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness Trevor Jones visited the new Complete Extract Solutions facility in Mississauga to mark the opening and recognize Mother Parkers' continued investment in Ontario-based manufacturing and innovation. In 2023, the Ontario government announced its support for Mother Parkers’ investment with $5 million through the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness stream of the province’s Regional Development Program.

“Our government’s investment in Mother Parkers’ new facility is helping to protect Ontario by supporting good paying jobs and strengthening our province’s beverage manufacturing capacity,” said Minister Jones. “The opening of this new facility reinforces Ontario’s position as Canada’s leading food and beverage manufacturing jurisdiction.”

“Mother Parkers’ expansion demonstrates how Ontario companies are leveraging their expertise to meet rising

new product demands across the North American market,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Through the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness stream of our Regional Development Program, our government was proud to support this new facility which will strengthen Ontario’s vibrant agri-food processing sector with new capabilities, while creating good-paying jobs across the region.”

“Congratulations to Mother Parkers on their latest expansion in Mississauga, which is great news for the community and a vote of confidence in Ontario’s world-class workers and manufacturing supply chain,” said Premier Ford. “Our government will continue to cut taxes and red tape to attract investments, create jobs and build the most competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy in the G7.”

On Saturday 25^th July in New Orleans, the United States claimed victory, represented by François Behuet (chocolate candidate), Jordan Snider (sugar candidate) and Nicholas Forte (ice candidate), bringing the Pastry World Cup Americas 2026 to a close.

Mexico took second place and Paraguay completed the podium in third. These three teams, along with Argentina (4ᵗʰ), secured their places for the Grand Finale of the Pastry World Cup, in January 2027 during Sirha Lyon.

The 7 teams from across the continent (Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and the United States), each made up of a sugar expert, a chocolatier and an ice specialist, competed intensely for 5 hours and 30 minutes. All shared the same goal: to succeed Argentina, crowned at the previous continental selection.

On a free theme, the teams had to produce 32 tasting desserts, 3 artistic showpieces and a buffet: 10 individual pecan pies, 10 frozen plated desserts, 12 chocolate-based sweet creations, as well as three artistic showpieces in sugar, chocolate and sculpted water ice.

True to the spirit of the competition, one of the tests paid tribute to the heritage of the host country: the pecan pie, a great classic of American pastry, which the candidates had to reinvent in their own way. The chocolate test drew on the codes of street food, with 12 sweet creations in finger-food format, finished live in front of the jury and staged in an immersive setting.

"The Americas Selection was an outstanding experience, and it was a privilege to be its Honorary President. The seven teams presented delicate, refined and singular creations. Throughout the competition, each found its rhythm and its own path to the finish", explains Osvaldo Gross, Honorary President of the Pastry World Cup Americas 2026.

"We had a very solid game plan and we are delighted to have carried it out successfully. It was a real pleasure to compete alongside all the candidates, and we wish them all the very best for the rest of the competition", comments Jordan Snider, winner of the Pastry World Cup Americas 2026.

DISCOVER THE RESULTS OF THE PASTRY WORLD CUP AMERICAS 2026

The 2026 season continues with the Africa and Middle East continental selections. The 20 teams selected during these qualifiers will then meet for the Grand Finale of the Pastry World Cup in January 2027, during Sirha Lyon.

Vancouver, B.C., July 27, 2026 – Get ready to pull up a chair. On August 4, 2026, hospitality veterans and brothers Justin and Cristian Isidro are officially opening the doors to Maria Celeste, their long-dreamed tribute to Portugal’s cherished tascas. Named for their mãe (mother in Portuguese), the intimate 36-seat restaurant at 4181 Fraser Street will welcome its first guests during a limited soft opening the week prior. Reservations can now be made online.

Maria Celeste unites the brothers’ hospitality careers under one roof, each drawing on years spent in some of Vancouver’s (and Europe’s) most acclaimed rooms. Justin, formerly longtime director of operations at Michelin-starred Kissa Tanto, Meo, and Bao Bei, and founder of Vìnicola Portugal, leads the front-of-house, while Cristian (previously Kissa Tanto, Lisboeta in London, and Cozinha das Flores in Porto) helms the kitchen.

“Growing up in Portugal, tascas were where everyone ended up on any given day because they were all about welcoming the whole community,” says Justin. “That's the feeling we want the moment people walk through our doors – there's always a seat for you at our table. It's been a long road to get here, and we can't wait to finally share this room with our friends, family, and guests."

True to the tasca spirit, the food menu is built for the whole table and to-be-shared. À la carte options include Cristian’s Pratos, which pay heartfelt homage to Portugal through British Columbia’s seasonal ingredients, with signatures including: Rissois de Camarão, featuring crisp golden half-moons of sweet shrimp folded through cream with a touch of lemon; Bacalhau à Brás, shredded salt cod, egg, and straw potatoes; and Arroz de Marisco, Portuguese seafood rice with prawns, mussels, and clams.

Larger plates, or Da Terra, feature dishes such as a the surf and turf Pluma de Porco Iberico, Algarve’'s famous marriage of pork from the Alentejo with fresh clams; and Bife a Portuguesa, highlighting Carrara Wagyu paired with Lisbon-style cafe sauce of cream, butter, and mustard.

Guests also have the option of experiencing Maria Celeste’s Come e Cala-techef’s menu, where the kitchen takes the reins and brings dishes out for the table – built around what’s freshest, what’s in season, and what the kitchen is most proud of.

“Everything on this menu starts with memories of the way our mãe cooked and the way Portugal eats,” explains Cristian. “We take those traditions and let British Columbia's ingredients speak through them. We are cooking simply and generously – letting nothing go to waste. When a plate lands on the table, I want it to taste like you are in Portugal.”

Justin’s all-Portuguese wine list travels the country glass by glass, from Espumante through to Vinho Branco, Vinho Tinto, and Vinho Fortificado. It moves from the structured reds of the Alentejo to the freshness of Vinho Verde and the elegance of the Bairrada. Guided by the philosophy of “vou para a terra” (a deep respect for place), wine the program celebrates historic producers and small-scale growers alike, and lends its name to the list’s own Vou Pra Terra section.

Maria Celeste’s 1,300-square-foot room is designed by Studio Roslyn, together with Justin and Cristian. The contractors that made the space into a reality was built by Belcarra. As previously described, the space features warm wood, aged materials, and nostalgic touches – reflecting the essence of the traditional tasca: honest, familiar, and unadorned, where atmosphere is felt and enjoyed.

Maria Celeste officially opens on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Soft opening begins July 29, 2026. At launch, Maria Celeste will be open Tuesday to Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.  Reservations recommended. Walk-ins welcome. To stay up-to-date, please visit mariaceleste.ca