Supporting Value-Add Opportunities in the Agri-Food Sector

The start of the new year has been a busy one for the Wilton Consulting Group team, as some of our members have travelled across Ontario for meetings and touring the Ontario Agriculture Food Venture Centre (OAFVC).

OAFVC, located in Northumberland County in Eastern Ontario, was designed with farmers and new food entrepreneurs in mind. It supports fresh fruit and vegetable value-added opportunities to farmers and helps food entrepreneurs with recipe development, food processing, and business development. OAFVC is a visionary facility providing Ontario’s food producers with the tools needed today, for agriculture and economic stability tomorrow.

OAFVC offers several services including washing/cutting fruits and vegetables, flash freezing products, labeling, a fully equipped commercial kitchen, packaging, and cold/frozen/dry storage. This facility demonstrates a commitment to the economic development of the Ontario agri-food sector and food entrepreneurs in particular.

The tour started with an in-depth conversation about how the OAFVC came to be and how it has connected farmers/food entrepreneurs to the value-added agri-food supply chain. OAFVC has purposefully connected to Northumberland County. As a municipally owned facility, all economic development activities have a tie to the OAFVC meaning that as the County grows so does the OAFVC and vice versa. As we toured the facility it was clear that OAFVC and Northumberland County have been very successful adding value in the agri-food supply chain for Eastern Ontario.

Overall, our start to 2019 has been a success with networking and engaging conversations across the agri-food sector. Our industry is full of innovation and expansion. We look forward to future collaborations and seeing what the future has for us here at Wilton Consulting Group.

Check out the OAFVC Blog and follow them on Twitter!