2025 Generation Next winner Alison McFarlane

The food business is in Alison McFarlane’s DNA—with a father who spent his career in the industry, she grew up surrounded by food and fascinated by what makes great products connect with people. She first started working at Farm Boy as a university student, before heading to England to complete a master’s in product development and food consumer marketing. When she came back to Canada, she also returned to Farm Boy, and she’s been growing her career there ever since.

As private label manager, McFarlane oversees the company’s private-brand portfolio, pop-up program and new product development. “I love the challenge of thinking outside the box and bringing new ideas to life,” she explains. McFarlane says her proudest accomplishments include building a launch process that brought more than 1,000 SKUs to shelves, introducing a project management system that has been adopted across the company, and delivering unique experiences in stores by partnering with brands in the community.

McFarlane aims to continue growing into broader leadership roles and making an even greater impact at Farm Boy. “There’s always something new to learn when it comes to food and that’s what keeps me motivated,” she says.

See the full list of Generation Next 2025 winner profiles.

Profiles were published in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Canadian Grocer.