Ontario wineries to get $856K boost from province, feds
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Grape growers across province to use funds to scale up, invest in technology
The funding will be handed out to Wellington, Ont.’s Hardie Wines Ltd. as well as 19 other wineries. PHOTO: Stefano Lubiana, via Flickr
WELLINGTON, Ont.—The Ontario and Canadian governments have set aside $856,000 to help 20 wineries in Niagara, Prince Edward County and the province’s other emerging wine making regions dig their roots in a little deeper.
Announcing the new funding as the province’s grape growers celebrate Ontario Wine Week, which runs from June 12-18, the two tiers of government said the investments will spur economic growth and create jobs.
Among the recipients of funds is Wellington, Ont.’s Hardie Wines Ltd. The winery, owned by sommelier-turned-winemaker Norman Hardie plans to use the $43,000 to buy a state-of-the-art wine press and build a stackable wine tank system to increase productivity.
“Investing in state-of-the-art technology not only helps the winery boost productivity and profitability, it positions the wine industry to capture new market opportunities to ensure Canada’s success in the global marketplace,” Neil Ellis MP-Bay of Quinte, said.
19 other wineries across the province will use the funding to carry out similar upgrades.
Ontario’s wine industry currently employs about 7,000 people across the province.
