Growing And Promoting Norfolk County Produce

McGuinty Government Helping Boost Local Production, Create Jobs

A new, innovative and energy-efficient processing facility in Norfolk County will allow local producers and contract buyers to increase production of locally-grown fruits and vegetables for sale to a larger market.

Through the Rural Economic Development Program, Ontario is helping Naturally Norfolk, Inc. to:

• establish a 65,000 square foot state-of-the-art food processing facility
• create 48 job opportunities now and up to 85 more jobs within the next 5 years
• install a state-of-the-art fruit and vegetable processing line with slicing and dicing capacity
• install an energy-efficient freeze-drying line to enable the freeze-dried product to be offered for sale to a wider market
• process over 8 million pounds of raw fruit and vegetables in frozen form in the first year
• provide opportunity for local producers to increase production
• market local Ontario products throughout the province, Canada and internationally
• invest in Norfolk County to assist the area in moving away from tobacco production

QUOTES

"This project will not only increase production of locally-grown fruits and vegetables, creating new job opportunities, but it will also establish innovative ways to process and market Ontario produce to a wider, international market."
- Rick Johnson, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

"Thanks to our provincial partner, this project will help create local jobs and increase local production. This innovative facility will help put Ontario produce in more stores."
- Jim Irvin, President/CEO, Naturally Norfolk, Inc.

QUICK FACTS

• Naturally Nofolk Inc. is receiving up to $1,000,000 through the Rural Economic Development Program.
• Since 2003, Ontario has invested $83.1 million in 251 projects through the Rural Economic Development Program