Strength in our Core Value - Ontario Apple Awareness $49,000

Ontario Apple Growers will increase consumer food literacy by highlighting the benefits, versatility and availability of Ontario apples. The project will share apple recipes, host educational farm tours, and share the stories of apple growers in Ontario.

Get Fresh Cafe - Local Food Procurement Pilot, Thunder Bay $45,000

Collaborating with the Lakehead District School Board, Roots to Harvest will launch a “Get Fresh Café” in a Thunder Bay high school, including a complete overhaul of the school’s cafeteria procurement to source all fresh and from-scratch ingredients. The model will be replicable across the school district.

Fall Feast On Marketing Campaign, Toronto $15,000

Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA) will partner with Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation to increase awareness of OCTA’s Feast On program, a criteria-based certification program that recognizes businesses committed to showcasing local ingredients and Ontario’s unique “tastes of place”. Funding will go towards videos and photos highlighting Feast On members on location and to local food influencers both online and within traditional media.

Leveraging Local Food Purchases in Northwestern ON: Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Kenora, Rainy River & Beyond, Dryden $65,000

Cloverbelt will expand its transportation network for local food and establish two new major local food distribution points in Emo and Thunder Bay, as well as additional smaller distribution points in smaller communities. The project aims to increase the amount of Ontario food purchased by Northwestern Ontario’s wholesale distribution, foodservice and retail markets and enhance the capacity of small and medium sized farms and processors to access mainstream distribution markets.

Implementation of New Juice Press to Increase Production and Access to Ontario Market $75,000

Greenhouse Juice Company will purchase a new juice press system that will enable them to increase production of juices using local Ontario produce tenfold.

Ottawa, A Good Food City: Celebrating 150 Years of Food in the Nation's Capital, Ottawa $85,000

Just Food will partner with Ottawa 2017 to organize and promote tours that highlight Ottawa and Eastern Ontario region farms and farmers’ markets as part of the Canada 150 celebrations. Just Food will also work with stakeholders to enhance farm and rural business’ “tourism readiness”, promote long-term product development and support new value chains.

Bringing Microgreens to Broader Public Sector Institutions $50,000

Greenbelt Greenhouse Ltd. will invest in automation equipment for packaging and labelling their clamshell containers, which will increase capacity and reduce costs. This will allow Greenbelt Microgreens to be cost-competitive and gain access to large scale broader public sector institutions.

Improving Access to Halal Chicken in Ontario, Etobicoke $75,000

Sheik Halal Farms will invest in new equipment to increase production of halal duck and chicken. As Canada’s largest halal duck processor, Sheik Halal will build on its relationships with Ontario poultry and Mennonite farmers to increase capacity to meet growing demand for halal meet.

Integrating Distribution Food Hub Models, Smiths Falls $73,500

Two Rivers Food Hub will partner with EcoPerth/Lanark Local Flavour and a group of stakeholders in the local foods community in eastern Ontario to share resources and increase the reach of local food operations. Plans include a pilot project to introduce local food and snacks for the Upper Canada School Board’s student nutrition program.

Eat Local Grey Bruce - Infrastructure, Owen Sound $49,000

Eat Local Grey Bruce will launch a new food hub to enhance the profitability of local food producers and incubate small farms by providing access to a first wholesale market. The project will establish the necessary infrastructure, including equipment and staffing, to grow the local food presence in Grey and Bruce County particularly as part of a tourism experience.