Customizing an Open Source E-commerce/Logistics Platform for Ontario Food Hubs $30,000

Open Food Network Canada will improve its online tools for food hubs and farmers by simplifying the user interface and making other improvements requested by users, including the creation of a community discussion board to foster communication, knowledge transfer and collaboration among farmers.

Increase Market Access through Development of a Meat Distribution Terminal, Markdale $25,000

Artisan Farms will develop a Meat Distribution Terminal to provide a centralized hub to aggregate meats for further distribution to grocery and foodservice sectors, much like the Ontario Food Terminal does for produce. Artisan Farms will conduct outreach to farm organizations to secure more product, and implement a product verification and traceability system. They will also develop a brand and marketing strategy to market the variety of Ontario meat offerings.

West End Food Co-op Local Food Access Expansion Project, Toronto $15,000

West End Food Coop will expand its local food offerings and in-store promotion of made in house local foods, and begin purchasing directly from additional farmers. In addition, the Co-op will increase its local food making and preserving workshops by offering year-round canning and bread-making workshops.

Increase Market Access for Ontario Rabbit Farmers through Productivity Improvements, Arthur $25,000

Abate Rabbit Packers will increase capacity for their rabbit products by investing in new equipment to improve efficiency in production. The project is expected to increase production by 108%, increasing the availability of a more sustainable meat source and enabling Abate to hire more skilled butchers and offer different cuts of meat.

Increasing Processing of Ontario Raised Halal Beef, Veal, Lamb and Goat Product Through Improved Production and Cooling Efficiencies, Denfield $35,000

Parkhill Meats will invest in new equipment to increase capacity at its halal processing facility, using 100% Ontario-raised beef, lamb, goat and veal. The investment in new refrigeration and packaging facilities will increase local food sales by 20% to $1.2 million annually.

Increasing Storage Capacity and Extending Marketing Season for Ontario Apples, Simcoe $40,000

Norfolk Cherry Company will partner with Norfolk Fruit Growers’ Association to retrofit its storage facility to accommodate growing cold storage needs of local apple growers. Cherry production enjoys a relatively short season, with the facility going unused much of the year. This project addresses a shortfall in storage capacity for local apples while maximizing the use of Norfolk Cherry Company’s facility.

NudeSoup - Developing Locally Sourced Soups, Etobicoke $46,000

Zast Foods will launch a new frozen soup line, NudeSoup, featuring 6 frozen soups made with Ontario ingredients, in partnership with Longo’s. The project is expected to increase local food sales by $200,000 annually.

Implementation of Packaging Line for Fresh Ground Turkey Products, Hanover $52,750

Exceldor Foods will invest in a new packaging line to replace traditional styrofoam packaging for its Butterball brand ground turkey. The new packaging will be more convenient for consumers as the resealable packaging makes it easier to portion and to freeze. In addition, by reducing packaging materials the new line will be more environmentally sustainable. Working with Metro grocery stores, Exceldor will promote Butterball ground turkey as a healthy, Ontario-raised protein. The project is expected to increase Ontario turkey sales by $203,000 in 2018 and $1.59 million over five years.

South to North Good Food Distribution: Northern Food Justice in Motion, Toronto $60,000

FoodShare will reboot its northern food distribution program, which delivers affordable, fresh produce to remote northern communities experiencing food insecurity including Moose Factory, Fort Albany, Moosonee, and Attawapiskat. The project will strengthen consumer relationships between northeastern Ontario communities with southern Ontario growers, and is forecast to increase local food sales by $120,000 in the first year.

Local Lime and Capacity Building, Toronto $30,000

Ripple Farms will establish a new growing facility on Seneca College’s Newnham campus to grow lime basil for its new “local lime syrup,” which will be processed at Food Starter’s commercial kitchen. Ripple Farms will also train four staff to become certified food handlers to process the lime basil into syrup. Additionally, Ripple Farms will investigate sustainable packaging and labeling of its new syrup. The project is expected to generate $120,000 of local food sales during the project duration and create two full-time and two part-time jobs.