Locally developed iPad app recognized for promoting Eastern Ontario's huge potential for artisanal cheese making

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Hollie Pratt-Campbell

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EMC News - Cheese making in Ontario's Artisan Food and Beverage (FAB) region has officially stepped into the 21st Century - and to much acclaim.

At a Feb. 2 annual meeting of the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) held in Toronto, the FAB Region, which includes Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, was recognized with an award for the iPad app collaborated on by member organizations - including Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) - called How to Start a Cheese Making Business in Eastern Ontario. The award celebrated the app's innovative use of technology and social media.

Frontenac CFDC executive director Anne Prichard noted that it was thrilling to win the award.

"I am also proud of the way that we continue to work with our neighbouring counties to pool resources and funding, and brand ourselves as the place to manufacture artisan food and beverages," she said.

As its title suggests, the app is a how-to guide for starting your own cheese making business in Eastern Ontario, it contains over 55 pages of interactive content and guidelines covering topics which include, among other things, an overview of the current cheese making business climate in Ontario, information about start-up costs and interviews with established cheese makers.

Currently, there are eight artisan cheese companies in the FAB region: Black River Cheese, Eldorado Dairy Company, Empire Cheese and Butter Co-Operative, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, Ivanhoe Cheese, Maple Dale Cheese, Ontario Water Buffalo Company and the Wilton Cheese Factory.

Still, about $350 million worth of artisan cheese is imported into Ontario each year - and that amount is growing by about 10 per cent annually.

"We thought there would be an opportunity because we have such a strong history in the greater region of artisan or small cheese makers that we could help to re-establish that and use it as a business attraction," said Prichard.

The app is intended to be used by both farmers with their own supply of milk, and those who are looking at getting into the business by purchasing supplies elsewhere. Prichard remarked that it has already been a huge hit with the members of the public, having been downloaded over 600 times since first becoming available several months ago. Cheese enthusiasts all over Canada and even internationally have shown interest.

"Of course, we want them to move here (to start their businesses)," Prichard said.

Indeed, the app is largely tailored to this region, as it helps people navigate the complicated set of laws governing dairy production in Ontario. It was Frontenac CFDC employee Krista Fazackerley's job to sift through and make sense of all the rules, regulations and contacts for the provincial dairy cow and goat associations.

"We had to go through that to make sure everything was specific to our region, and just edit everything," said Fazackerley. "Then we made sure all the links worked and that all the content was rounded about enough."

Ultimately, the goal is to strengthen the economy of the region by encouraging more people to invest in cheese. Prichard pointed out that attracting these businesses to area the will not only create jobs, but also promote additional spinoff benefits.

"Twenty years down the line if we're really successful we might have something like what they have in Vermont, where we have tourists coming and doing the taste trails for cheese," she said. "Then there's also the spinoff that if people are coming here to buy the cheese they might be buying another product as well."

The hope is also to provide more opportunities for local farmers.

"When we got involved in this project we looked at it in terms of a growth opportunity for farmers who are struggling to find other ways to increase their revenues," said Prichard.

For her part, Prichard hopes that the initiative will help encourage growth of the artisan cheese industry in Frontenac, as she noted that there is currently no such business to be found in the county. However, she emphasized that strengthening the region as a whole will be the main focus.

"It would be nice if it was in Frontenac but if someone starts up in Sterling, that's fine too," she said.

"I hope (the app provides) an opportunity for people to learn a little bit more about the industry and see if there's an opportunity for them to start a cheese making business in the region."

To learn more about the new FAB region initiative, please visit www.fabregion.ca. For information on the cheese business, and to download a PDF version of the app, please visit www.investincheese.ca.




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