Savour East Ontario
Savour East Ontario is a brand created by the EOAN with the goal of promoting local agri-food to the community. This brand will unite producers, food businesses, restaurants, and others under one identity, allowing our region as a whole to shine through the combined strength of all our agri-food businesses. This will attract our own communities to buy local, and incite consumers from all over to Savour East Ontario.
With local products properly identified and highlighted for consumers, they will more easily gravitate towards them and take pride in their community for having them. A consistent and high quality brand creates an identity people want to be a part of. With producers and businesses showcasing this brand on the ground, products and stories showcased on the Savour East Ontario website and across social media, residents of Eastern Ontario will have their biggest sector, and their biggest strength seen on another level.
Although it is not considered a certification, the EOAN does require a commitment to honour from its members, as well as a regular review of uses to ensure brand consistency across all members. Here are the highlights:
- Members must be up to date (expired members will not have approval for brand use).
- Must use, transform, or produce a significant proportion of locally sourced ingredients.
- Must inform the EOAN of each use case. EOAN will also review brand uses at yearly membership renewal.
- Drafts for custom printing (private labels) must be submitted to the EOAN before use.
Although it is not considered a certification, the EOAN does require a commitment to honour from its members, as well as a regular review of uses to ensure brand consistency across all members. Here are the highlights:
- Members must be up to date (expired members will not have approval for brand use).
- Must use, transform, or produce a significant proportion of locally sourced ingredients.
- Must inform the EOAN of each use case. EOAN will also review brand uses at yearly membership renewal.
- Drafts for custom printing (private labels) must be submitted to the EOAN before use.
- Special events.
Members can choose to add the Savour East Ontario brand to their current labels with a large selection of high quality vector files made available to them alongside a brand guideline document. They can also opt to purchase preprinted sticker packs directly from the EOAN (at cost) which will not require approval for each use case.
Participating members are also eligible to receive an aluminum sign to proudly show they are part of the Savour East Ontario movement. This ‘L’ shaped sign can be fixed to any type of structure with simple screws.
Alternatively members can opt for an exterior window sticker.
Members are invited to reach out to the team at EOAN at any time to see how they can take part in the Savour East Ontario program.
Discovery Series
EOAN’s Discovery Series put the spotlight directly on our local producers.
When a new member signs on, EOAN will produce a written profile, between 200 and 300 words, for consumers to get to know them. This discovery is all about the people behind the products, their stories, their passions, their drive. These stories are highlighted on the producers’ profiles on our new SavourEastON website, as well as shared across our social media channels and newsletters.
These profiles are offered to members at no additional cost so if you don’t have your story written yet, or feel you want a new one, reach out to the EOAN to get the ball rolling!
EOAN also features videos! Over the past year, one of our amazing members André Dumont, has been supporting the EOAN members with video profiles. These 2-3 minute videos have the same goal as the written profiles, to highlight the stories and people of EOAN. Throughout the 2023 season and as long as funding permits, EOAN will continue to produce these videos.
All videos are featured on our new SavourEastON website, shared on our social media channels and on the SavourEastON YouTube page.
Each relaunch of the project includes a different number of videos we are able to produce and how much of the cost of the videos we are able to cover.
To reserve a spot or to find out what parameters are currently in motion, please ask services@agro-on.ca!
Seasonal Routes
Our seasonal routes offer unique fun-filled day trips and weekend trips to discover the beauty, the flavours, and the hidden treasures of Eastern Ontario.
Eastern Ontario has the reputation of surprising folks that dare visit to come and say hi. Filled with welcoming locals and growers, bountiful flavours, history, green spaces and innovative businesses, it promises to impress you. Grab the kids, pack the bags and come along to our rural destinations to taste and explore the flavours and treasures of the East.
We build several routes each season, putting forward people that work hard into making and offering amazing foods, as well as other activities to fill your day or weekend trips.
We also invite our sponsors to co-create a route with us. This gives us an opportunity to showcase the people behind the organization. Our sponsors are more than a logo and transaction, they are an integral part of the Eastern Ontario food system, and strong community members and supporters. We love getting to know them and what better way than to discover local producers along the way.
Meet your Members
Meet your Members is a series of events where we invite our members to gather, network, chat, and cheer.
Once a month, one of our members invites fellow members and community members to their farm or business.
In the past year, our generous hosts gave us amazing experiences. We saw a local food brand launch with delicious bites made by the Zip Grow team along with amazing products from Fauxmagerie Zengarry, we got a tour of The Lofty Nest with bites from the lovely Cheryl at Simply Baked, and we got a tour of the amazing production facility at Cassburn Sweets along with a great selection of food from our friends at Riverest.
We leave it to the creativity and inspiration of our members as to what we see and experience there. Sometimes it’s a guided tour, sometimes it’s a workshop, sometimes there is food. Really the sky is the limit but what counts is that we get to meet and chat with such amazing producers and people!
It’s a great way for our members to be seen and recognised so if you are interested in hosting, just let us know! And don’t forget to keep an eye on the Savour East ON Daily Bites for our next events!
Minimarkets
Food producers in Eastern Ontario often work together, co-market, distribute, and resell each other’s products. It is a great way for consumers to find a wider range of local products in one location, for small producers to find another channel to market, and for larger producers to expand their offering with other local products and be more attractive to customers.
Look for offerings of local products through the following members:
- Binerie Plantagenet (Plantagenet)
- Café de la Rive (Plantagenet)
- Cornerstone Organics (Long Sault)
- Fiat Farm (Russell)
- Les Fruits du Poirier (St-Eugène)
- L’Orignal Meat Packing (L’Orignal)
- The Mariposa Farm (Plantagenet)
- Tom’s Pantry (Alexandria)
- Vergers Villeneuve (St-Pascal Baylon)
Local food counters are also available at the following retailers:
- St-Albert Cheese Co-op, 150 St-Paul Street, St. Albert ON
- The Metro, 21 Richer Circle, Casselman ON
These Mini Markets are highlighted on our savoureaston.ca website and easily recognizable for consumers. Easy to spot, easy to get to, easy to support.
Members of the EOAN and other food and beverage operators are invited to reach out to us if they are interested in hosting a Savour East Mini Market.
Grow an extra row
Grow-A-Row is a food insecurities program operating in many Canadian communities. It provides private and commercial gardeners the opportunity to grow an extra row of vegetables or fruit in their gardens, planter boxes or containers and to share the harvest with neighbours in need by donating the produce to the local food banks and meal programs.
It is best to make an arrangement with your preferred food bank in advance to see what they need, understand what volumes they can handle, and discuss pickup or delivery. Checking ahead of time will ensure that your bounty isn’t going to waste.
The EOAN encourages all farmers to contact their local food bank. Secondly, we want to publicly celebrate the participating farmers and food banks. Please share your news with us. We will ensure that you receive the recognition that you deserve.
Ferme Houle Farm, a member of the EOAN in Curran, takes the concept to a new level. André Houle challenges every farmer and gardener to “Grow an Extra Row” to donate to the Food Bank of their choice.
André partnered with the Agapè Center, another EOAN member in Cornwall, for farm donations and offers to help coordinate possible drop-off locations for other farm donations if needed. Ferme Houle
ZipGrow also gives some of their extra greens to the Apape Centre, monthly.
Good Food Garden and the Vankleek Hill Food Bank, both EOAN members in Vankleek Hill, have added their own spin to “Grow a Row”. For one, Peggy McDonald of Good Food Garden plants enough for extra CSA baskets specifically to donate to the Vankleek Hill Food Bank. Secondly, she also has a program in place where CSA clients can donate any unused weeks to the local food bank as well. This allows Good Food Garden to offer a wide selection and a good quantity of vegetables for donation.
If you are a producer and don’t know where to start, reach out to us and the EOAN will help you through the process.
