Scaling Up Year-Round Greenhouse Grown Ontario Strawberries: Automating Packaging, Langton $57,000

EZ Grow Farms will purchase packaging equipment to reduce a production bottleneck and meet the growing demand for strawberries year round. EZ grow projects a local food sales increase of $7 million based on the retail value of greenhouse grown year-round Ontario strawberries.

Fresh and Frozen Local Meals for the Social Service Sector, Milton $36,600

Community Living North Halton will extend their commercial kitchen capacity to provide fresh and frozen packaged meals utilizing local ingredients to the social service sector.

Distilling Culled Tender Fruit Into Fruit-Based Spirits, Niagara-on-the-Lake $103,000

A.J. Lepp Orchards will turn the problem of waste fruit in the Niagara Region into a value-added opportunity by distilling 150 tonnes of culled tender fruit from five local Niagara tender fruit operations into fruit-based spirits. The investment in distillation equipment is projected to result in $1.3 million in annual local food salesA.J. Lepp Orchards will turn the problem of waste fruit in the Niagara Region into a value-added opportunity by distilling 150 tonnes of culled tender fruit from five local Niagara tender fruit operations into fruit-based spirits. The investment in distillation equipment is projected to result in $1.3 million in annual local food sales

Sliced Organic Pickles, Thamesville $30,000

Sunshine Pickles will purchase processing equipment that enables them to expand their value-added product offerings and access new markets in the foodservice sector, particularly for high demand spear cut and sliced Ontario-grown pickles.  With the new equipment they expect to increase sales by $200,000 immediately, with further increases expected in the longer term.

Taste Northern Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie $25,000

A partnership between RAIN and NOFIA, this project will recruit 8 agri-food businesses from northern Ontario to exhibit at the Ontario pavilion at the Restaurants Canada Show, with a view to establish new business contacts and customers for the participants.

Casa Bonita Market Access, North York $51,000

Casa Bonita will invest in new equipment to increase production capacity for their Mexican-style corn tortillas and tortilla chips, while shifting to increase use of Ontario flour and launching a new product line featuring the Foodland Ontario logo.

Micro Farms at Schools, Hillsburgh $25,000

Everdale will develop a comprehensive “Start a Micro Farm at Your School” teaching module for schools to help deliver practical farm-based food education. The project will pilot the micro-farm module at Erin Public School and Erin High School.

Before Bloom! Producing Ontario Strawberries Year-Round, Langton $25,000

EZ Grow Farms will work with 9 new growers and 20 greenhouse operations to be one of the first producers to offer Ontario strawberry plants for commercial production to harvest during the winter season. The funding will allow EZ Grow Farms to invest in essential cold storage facilities to enable this production.

Increasing Access and Awareness of World Crops, Toronto $14,550

Youth Action Network will scale up its world crops production to provide culturally appropriate produce at local farmers’ markets, and provide entrepreneurship, farming and food literacy training for youth and food-insecure persons.

Increasing the Demand for Ontario Produce Ingredients in Prepared Jams, Sauces and Condiments, Guelph $25,000

Rootham’s Gourmet Preserves will develop new products such as jams, sauces, and salad dressings made from Ontario-grown ingredients. Partnering with Longo’s and Ravine Winery, Rootham’s will launch in-store promotions to distinguish its products as 100% local, farm-to-table products. Rootham’s presence in Longo’s will be a first in offering consumers a total line of condiments made from local fruits and vegetables.