“Community Economic Development Award” Winner
Ontario’s Food and Beverage (FAB) Region
Ontario’s Food and Beverage (FAB) Region Ontario’s Food and Beverage (FAB) Region has received a prestigious Community Economic Development Award out of many nominations from across the province at the Annual Conference of the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations. Over 250 guests and delegates from Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) recently met at Casino Rama, Orillia for the event. Many of the CFDCs had nominated successful businesses that they had assisted with business counselling and loans. The Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation is one of 61 CFDCs across Ontario. On hand to accept the award were Frontenac CFDC Executive Director, Anne Prichard and Andrew Redden who is the Manager of Economic Development for the County of Hastings.
Ontario’s Food and Beverage (FAB) Region is an investment marketing partnership structured to attract and grow small scale (artisanal) food and beverage businesses. The partnership took place between four Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) offices, more specifically: Frontenac CFDC, Prince Edward, Lennox & Addington CFDC, CFDC of North & Central Hastings & South Algonquin, and Trenval Business Development Corporation. In addition to these offices, a community partnership with Hastings County was an important addition to this initiative.
“The Frontenac CFDC is very committed to growing the food and beverage in the region and would like to continue to work with our partners to do that” said Anne Prichard, Executive Director of the Frontenac CFDC. “Primarily to help support the ones that are here but also to look to work with others who want to grow their business in our region.”
The initiative started in 2010 as “Invest in Cheese”, when the CFDC and community partners identified an opportunity in the agricultural tourism industry based on the area’s rich history of cheese making and dairy farming. In 2011, they took advantage of the technological push that was taking place at the time, by creating an iPad app centred on how to start a cheese making business.
In late 2013, “Invest in Cheese” rebranded themselves to what they are recognized as today, “Ontario’s Food and Beverage (FAB) Region”. At that time, FAB was able to strategically expand their focus to craft breweries based on the region’s rapidly expanding tourism sector. This progression was followed by another development in another “how-to” app called iCraft Brew, which lends a hand in starting a craft brewery. FAB’s unique approach to providing insight and educational information through apps and handbooks provide a comprehensive guide to starting sector-specific businesses.
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxBK1zgIY10
Photo (by Samantha Vessios): The FAB Region Project received the “Community Economic Development” Award at the recent Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations’ Conference. On hand for the awards ceremony Andrew Redden, Economic Development Manager for the County of Hastings, Jan Dines, Chair of the Frontenac CFDC and Anne Prichard, Executive Director of the Frontenac CFDC.
About Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations (OACFDC):
The OACFDC represents 61 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) -37 in southern Ontario and 24 in the north - that offer free business counselling, loans for start-up and expansion of small business, strategic planning on local projects and community economic development in rural areas. CFDCs provide flexible, repayable loans to small and medium sized businesses and are locally managed by a volunteer Board of Directors and funded with federal government support.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Diana Jedig, Executive Director, 519-633-2326
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For more information about the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, contact:
Anne Prichard, Executive Director
Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation
5062-8 Highway 36, Harrowsmith, ON K0H 1V0
Phone: 613-372-1414
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.frontenaccfdc.com
For more information about the Community Futures program or the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations, contact:
Brenda LaGrandeur, Communications and Professional Development Officer
Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations
300 South Edgeware Road, St. Thomas, ON N5P 4L1
Phone: 888-633-2326 ext.125
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.oacfdc.com