2009 Bus Tour

Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts Bus Tour Supplement to Newsletter #251

Stay Local, Buy Local 2009 Best Practices Tour to Eastern Ontario and Quebec See what your colleagues in Eastern Ontario and neighbours in Quebec are up to. Sometimes, you don’t have to travel far to see a great on-farm market or to discover a new idea. On the 2009 OFFMA Bus Tour, there’s something for everyone ---- outstanding on-farm markets specializing in honey, maple syrup, mazes, apples, lavender, cheese, animals, pumpkins ---- and on top of all this, there’s the great camaraderie with your fellow farm marketers and the opportunity to compare notes from the 2009 season. Join us! Here are some of the on-farm markets we plan to visit.

Their summer fun includes Wagon Rides, Kids’ Farm Day Adventure, and of course mazes. The designs for this year’s mazes celebrate various activities throughout Canada in 2009. McMaze also offers a Fall Haunting season that features the Haunted Barn, Haunted Bush Walk, and Haunted Night Mazes. During the winter, sleigh rides are available for birthdays, and school groups. The McDonald’s, from year to year, are continually adding new features to provide even greater family farm fun.

McMaze

Fromagerie Ruban Bleu

St. Andrews West, ON www.mcmaze.ca McMaze is in its ninth year of “Four Seasons of Family Farm Fun” and is operated by Stephen and Valerie McDonald and family. Year-round, there’s lots to do with a full complement of farm animals, watching the McMaze Corn Launcher, or enjoying the picnic/family area.

Marlin Orchards & Garden Centre Cornwall, ON www.marlinorchards.com Located close to the beautiful St. Lawrence River, Marlin's is more than an orchard. It is also a destination garden centre that has been a fixture in the Cornwall community for over 45 years and operated by the Lunan family. Of course, apples are plentiful and the variety available is extensive, but there is so much more. The complete garden centre, landscaping services, and horticultural expertise is enough to excite any enthusiast. Special family events and workshops are held throughout the year, and the gift shop features many unique gift ideas for home and garden.

Mercier, Quebec www.rubanbleu.net Open since early 1980, their dairy is considered one of the first to specialize in the production of goat cheese in Que-

Sunday, Nov. 8th to Thursday, Nov. 12th

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bec. Every day, milk from their goat herd is transformed into a multitude of tasty cheeses renowned for their fine texture and taste. Fromagerie Ruban Bleu has 21 types of home-made cheeses for sale throughout the year in their shop. Other goat products, such as meat, soaps, beauty creams, and mohair are also available. Since the beginning, they have worked hard to develop manufacturing techniques and procedures that respect the environment. The ultimate goal of the business is to sell 100% of production from the farm. To reduce their ecological footprint, Fromagerie Ruban Bleu offers a 5% discount on all their products to customers who bring cloth bags, use a bicycle or hybrid car. Certainly their enterprise is a blue ribbon operation!

La Face Cachee de la Pomme Hemmingford, Quebec www.cidredeglace.com

played a major part in making Québec renowned worldwide for its grand dessert wine.

La Ferme Quinn Notre-Dame de l’Ile-Perrot, Quebec www.quinnfarm.qc.ca The story of La Ferme Quinn begins in 1982 starting from scratch on an abandoned farm that hadn’t been cultivated since the 1950’s. Elwood and Marie Quinn’s story is one of perseverance and adaptation. During the 1980’s, they began with strawberries, sweet corn, and raspberries and as the decade went along added asparagus, pumpkins, gooseberries, currants and 3800 dwarf apple trees of 18 varieties. At the beginning of the 1990’s, they planted over 1600 balsam fir trees, adding a Christmas tree element to their enterprise. Always building and adding, they offered spooky hayrides, educational group visits, Sunday brunch, adopt an apple tree, trout in the ponds, earth day celebrations, etc. Now it’s the younger generation’s turn to bring their vision to what La Ferme Quinn will focus on. Matthiew, Genevieve, and Philippe, are in the process of re-inventing the enterprise. Their story of transition provides some interesting insight for all farm marketers.

Pure Lavande Saint-Eustache, Quebec www.purelavande.ca Thanks to a trip to France, the idea of growing lavender on their land came to former journalists, Daniel Joanette and Nancy Ferron. The couple began a little over three years ago to plant their first lavender. It was only in May 2009 that the new comDriven by a passionate desire to create an authentic product inspired by the bracing chill of the Québec winter, François Pouliot, a well-known film producer, participated in the development of the first ice cider (apple ice wine) in 1994. In 1999, visual artist Stéphanie Beaudoin joined La Face Cachée de la Pomme, lending her vision, energy and unflagging attention to details. As a family estate, this entrepreneurial couple endorse the vision of a ‘new world terroir’. With their ice cider Neige, they have sparked a trend that has

Supplement to Newsletter #241

pany was finally able to open its doors. Although still in its infancy and still developing, Pure Lavande is able to amaze visitors with 60,000 lavender plants. Visitors soak up their enjoyment of the lavender fields in bloom, while having a picnic or walking down a path where they can admire the beauty of this flower and smell its fragrance with its soothing properties. There is a host of products containing lavender in the Pure Lavande shop. The shop is part of a house dating back almost 250 years. As for products offered, there are hand soaps, massage oils, candles, bath powder and floral arrangements. Viva lavande!

Intermiel Mirabel Saint-Benoit, Quebec www.intermiel.com Intermiel was founded in 1976 by Christian and Viviane Macle. Christian is pursuing the family tradition. In France, at the age of fourteen, Christian started making his own honey and on his bicycle, he went to the village public market in the next town to sell his honey. What a difference - with his business today! Intermiel is now an enterprise with 35 employees. The business is open 7 days a week. Within this enterprise there is an oenologist, a consulting chemist, teachers, a sales representative as well as customer service representatives and specialized tour guides. Intermiel is constantly evolving and consistently diversifying. From the very first day, Intermiel has developed an educational component to their business. An average of 20,000 children from kindergarten to high school come to visit annually.

Les Vergers Lafrance Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Quebec www.lesvergerslafrance.com Les Vergers Lafrance is the story of three generations of apple growers, passionate about their calling. They passed on their love of apple farming from father to son, along with their drive and experience. The family operated orchard is now one of the largest in the region. Today, a new and energetic generation of Lafrances led by the founder's grandson Éric Lafrance, and his wife Julie Hubert, is keeping the family tradition alive, while continuing to infuse the apple growing business with a fresh level of enthusiasm.

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In the past 10+ years, the owners A registration form have gradually converted their has been orchard into a magnificent agroincluded with this tourism estate with a delightful countryside touch, where apples supplement. are now processed into a sweepFor further ing range of fine products. The facilities include a Euro-style information, contact: Country Store replete with deliCathy Bartolic, cious apple products; a Cider Executive Director House where traditional methods are used to create 15 appleph: 905-841-9278 based alcohol products, including e-mail: the renowned Domaine Lafrance ice cider; a Coffee House with an info@ontariofarmfresh outdoor terrace offering a breath.com taking view of the grounds; a kitchen redolent with the scent of wonderful dishes prepared the old-fashioned way. Their story is all about the passion and hard work that go into juggling 12,000 apple trees, thousands of bottles of cider, and 20 varieties of apples.

Valleyview Little Animal Farm Nepean, ON www.vvlittleanimalfarm.com The Valleyview Little Animal Farm is open from mid-April to October 31, and they invite everyone to follow the seasons at their farm. They offer a fun friendly family farm experience. In addition to the many little animal friends, there is a party room for birthdays, puppet shows, a mini train, farm playground, a café, and a gift shop. Throughout the seasons, Valleyview celebrates their passage with special events on the major holidays with entertainment, sheep shearing, corn roasts, and farm fun. Bill’s Old Farm Museum is part of the farm’s attractions. It is full to the haymow with old- fashioned equipment and farm

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memorabilia. Their farm museum houses an antique collection especially meaningful to farmers, agriculturists, historians, and old engine buffs.

Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm Edwards, ON www.stanleysfarm.com On Earl & Joy Stanley’s farm, you can experience the authentic production of pure Canadian Maple Syrup - from horse drawn sap collection to taffy in the snow - each spring. The farm has been producing Maple Syrup since the 1800's. Visitors can have a sleigh ride, go to the Sugar Shack and witness the boiling of the sap into delicious sweet maple syrup, enjoy taffy on the snow and delight in the maple cookery of the Pancake House, with their ALL-YOU-CANEAT Pancake Brunch. Building on the natural assets of the farm, the varied mix of country gardens, wooded glades and towering maples, Earl & Joy have made Stanley's Olde Maple Lane Farm the perfect location for weddings, and it is rapidly becoming one of the region's most sought out locales. Their farm has also become a popular choice for secluded corporate meeting days, employee "fun-days", or a mixture of both.

Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush Pakenham, ON www.fultons.ca

The sugarbush at Fulton’s is comprised of 400 acres of mixed forest (mostly sugar maple trees), a 120 seat restaurant, newly renovated

gift shoppe, maple sugar camp (production facility) and main office. In 1985 the family decided to focus exclusively on maple products. A rustic maple sugar camp was initially constructed in the early 1900's. Successive sugar camps have been constructed on the original site and the latest was constructed in 1983. The pancake house has had three additions, the most recent was completed in February of 2002. Shirley Fulton has always had the idea to further promote maple and the energy and perseverance to carry them out. The facility has grown from a small personal production sugar camp to a 4 season International Canadian destination. It is now home to national and international group tours, teambuilding/training and personal development camps, corporate retreats and conference centre, banquet facilities, and special occasions as well as the traditional spring maple syrup season.

Saunder’s Farm Munster, ON www.saundersfarm.com Saunders Farm first rose to prominence as one of the Ottawa region’s original pick-your-own strawberry farms. At its peak the farm grew 25 acres of the first fruit of summer. As demand decreased strawberry production was cut back. In 1980, the flat, tree-less landscape began to be transformed with the first planting of a tree nursery. In 1991, Bill and Anne Saunders were inspired to build a new vision for the farm. That vision would be a Fall season to attract customers and showcase the farm's growing beauty. It was the perfect location for a Hallowe’en farm attraction. An extensive renovation of the farm's historic log buildings began and in October 1992, and Haunting Season was born. With just a small 4 scene haunted hayride and a 4 scene haunted house, Saunders Farm opened its inaugural Fall festival. Mark, the middle son, returned to help the farm navigate its new direction. Crowds of people visited and the rest as they say is history.

Send in your registration forms today, (deadline October 9th)and pack your bags for one fun-filled, educational, idea generating trip.