Ontario Celebrates Successful Agri-Food Exporters

Jan 25, 2016

Today Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, presented the Ontario Food Exporter Awards to recognize companies that have strengthened the province's economy through increased exports of Ontario manufactured food to new and existing markets.

This year's top award went to Toronto-based TWI Foods Inc for its rapid growth in exporting cake-rusks, cookies, cakes and frozen foods to markets in the UK, the US, Australia, Germany and Singapore during the last two years.

The other two finalists that were recognized are:

Handi Foods, a leading pita bread and snack food manufacturer in Ontario. Handi Foods bakes and distributes a wide range of frozen flatbreads, snacks and related products for customers in Canada, the United States, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
Super-Pufft Snacks Corporation, one of North America's largest manufacturers of store branded snack foods. Super-Pufft Snacks Corporation sells popcorn, potato chips and canister crisps to more than 30 countries.

Ontario's first Food Export Road Map to China was also released at the awards presentation. The "how-to" exporting guidebook provides Ontario food and beverage business with practical step-by-step advice to successfully expand into the Chinese market.

Expanding the export growth of the province's agri-food businesses is part of the government's plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in people's talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario's history, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

Source: Ontario

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.