Middle River Farm - McKellar, ON - Also located in beautiful McKellar is Middle River Farm. Owned and operated by the Ward family since 1964 it is a diverse livestock-based operation raising Shorthorn cattle, mixed breed pigs, laying hens, meat chickens and large white turkeys. All animals are raised on grass, Genetically Modified ("GM") free grains, and grow in a stress free environment.
Fromagerie Kapuskoise - Kapuskasing, ON - Saveur de France, Made in Ontario! Since 2011, Fromagerie Kapuskoise has been a dream in the making for François Nadeau. While travelling in Asia, where cheeses were scarce, he decided he wanted to pursue cheese making so he would never have to go without it. Fast forward 10 years and they are now established in Northern Ontario making some of the best artisan cheese you will find anywhere.
Pristine Gourmet - Norfolk Country, ON - During the mid to late 90’s, Jason, a 4th generation farmer was realizing his love for business and his desire to add value to the farm operation, he and his wife Linda bought another farm and built a grain drying and storage facility. Searching for business ideas the two could embark upon, Jason read an article about cold pressed oils small companies in Europe were producing. This intrigued Jason to dig deeper into the idea of turning the soybeans his 1000+ acre farm was producing into an oil product for cooking.
In 2005, Pristine Gourmet was formed with the vision of supplying the food industry with quality, local non-gmo artisan foods. Today through the brand Pristine Gourmet Pure Virgin Oils, Jason provides non-GMO cold pressed products all of which are 100% pure Canadian from field to table. Jason and Pristine Gourmet believe in 3 pillars; heritage, passion, and craftsmanship and continuously work to build a business and brand around those values.
Penokean Hills - Bruce Mines, ON -
A perfect mix of Northern Ontario flavours and traditions. Penokean Hills Farms (est. in 2005) was born out of the necessity and desire to grow what had become a declining (agricultural) industry in Algoma. Originally it was made up of a group of Algoma farmers who wanted to preserve their way of life better by offering a premium niche product that consumers could purchase directly from area farms. With new demand for local foods in the marketplace, much thought was put into how these area farmers could work together in crafting a high-end, consistent end product and get it to market. It would need to be a system that would benefit the farming community, its consumers and also have a positive affect on the life of the cattle and the environment. What has transpired since that time is a locally crafted brand of Angus beef, all-naturally raised in Algoma which supports many different area farms, an abattoir, restaurants, butcher shops and of course retail consumers for a truly direct farm-to-table experience.
Where did the name Penokean come from, you ask? In short, it is a geological name for the rolling hills throughout the Algoma District. As part of the Canadian Shield, Penokean Hills Farms rests in these hills above the clear northern shores of Lake Huron. Its a largely untouched but ideal area for farming, but relatively unknown to the larger urban centres - we think its our best kept secret.
Wasauksing Maple - Wasauksing First Nation - First Nations have been making maple syrup since time immemorial and in the 16th century First Nations shared the maple syrup making process with Europeans. Maple syrup making is also community tradition in Wasauksing and the community has recently revived the community tradition of holding an annual Maplefest event/celebration to honour the Sugar Moon where everyone is welcome.
Wasauksing First Nation has been operating a not-for-profit sugar bush on and off since the late 1970’s through the economic development department. In recent years, Wasauksing Maple Products has focused on producing a high quality product for the area market in anticipation of moving towards a for-profit business model. As per the vision of the community members of Wasauksing, we look forward to developing the business into a for-profit venture that is renowned for its quality maple products throughout Canada and the world. Please watch for updates and join us on this journey over the next two years.
Cullen's Foods - Ridgetown, ON - Cullen’s Foods was started by Ben Cullen with the mission to de-mystify packaged foods, by going directly to certified organic, Canadian growers to source beans, chickpeas and lentils. Every can of Cullen’s contains zero additives – no firming agents, no colourants, no salt – just clean Canadian pulses and water, traceable right back to the farm by lot-code at www.cullensfoods.com.
