Helping agri-food entrepreneurs establish roots in our city
Age: 38
Job Title: Government Relations and Agri-Food Consultant
Stephanie Bach says her strong work ethic comes from her parents, who came to Canada as refugees of the Vietnam War. They taught Bach and her brother to put their heads down, do their best and contribute to their community. “They sacrificed everything to ensure that my brother and I had what we needed to be good citizens,” she says. That ethos has driven her career.
In 2009, Bach earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular genetics from the University of Alberta. She then applied for a master’s degree, opting to study plant breeding, a choice that steered her into agri-food, where she’s since worked in industries like vertical farming, cannabis and aquaculture.
Bach has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and over the course of her career she’s learned not just about the science of her sector, but also about the regulations that govern it. She’s turned that knowledge into a career in consulting, where she uses her expertise to help organizations better understand governmental language and makes sure that people she works with — often scientists and researchers — are communicating their ideas clearly, in ways that people outside of industry can understand. As she puts it, “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.”
Part of Bach’s goal is to help innovators and change-makers navigate the complexities of creating or transitioning a business — effectively helping them grow. For her, consulting is a way to help many organizations reach their goals all at once. “I can help people achieve them so that they can live their dreams.”
That’s something she has experience with. Her career is marked by a series of “yes moments” — instances where she took an opportunity, learned all she could and grew her own capabilities. “People ask, how did you get here?” she says. “And the truth is, I just saw that I could help.”
This article appears in the November/December 2025 issue of Edify
