Local Ontario Value Chain Project Members Announce Successful First Year And Participation At Upcoming Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
OAKVILLE, ONTARIO, November 3, 2014 — Katan Kitchens (Katan) and Value Chain Management International (VCMI) have successfully completed the first year of their 30-month project to develop the local Ontario value chain for quinoa. There have already been many positive outcomes from the study. Working with over 20 Ontario producers, project members are using 2014 quinoa field trials to determine what agronomic factors have the greatest effect on crop yield and quality. Analyses of these results will help project members determine which agronomic factors to focus on during 2015 production when commercialization of this new agricultural crop in Ontario will begin.
For the second year in a row, Quinta Quinoa, Katan’s Ontario-developed quinoa variety, will be available at the 2014 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The Royal takes place November 7 to 16, 2014, at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario. Quinta Quinoa will be present as part of the “Northern Ontario” FedNor exhibit from November 12 to 16.
Katan launched the first Quinoa Superfood Seed kit at the 2013 Royal, receiving positive feedback from consumers wishing to “simply grow your own at home”! The kits will be available again at this year’s fair. Katan aims to provide education surrounding the unique nutritional benefits of locally grown Quinta quinoa on human health, along with the economic benefits of growing local quinoa on the North American agri-food industry. Quinta Quinoa varieties have demonstrated superior nutritional value, including high protein and essential amino acids compared to commercially available imported quinoa varieties. Katan and VCMI are continuing to build the first local quinoa network in Ontario and are eager to engage with new local partners.
For more information, please visit the following websites:
Quinta http://www.quinta.co
Katan Kitchens http://www.katan.ca
The Royal Winter Agricultural Fair http://royalfair.org/
VCMI and Katan would like to acknowledge the funding support of the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through the New Directions Research Program for the Quinoa project.
KATAN KITCHENS
Katan Kitchens is an innovative, health food enterprise that seeks to produce local high quality SuperFoods in Ontario for the “Food for Health” market. Founded in 2011, Katan has emerged as a leader in the research and development of quinoa in Ontario over the past three years. Katan was formed by Jamie Draves, after a health crisis in 2007 that resulted in the loss of a third of his pancreas. This loss forced him to follow a very limited diet consisting of high-quality, nutritious foods. SuperFoods, in particular quinoa, were a key factor in regaining his health. This was the trigger event that drove Jamie’s passion and pursuit to discover and demonstrate the value of a SuperFood diet in maintaining and regaining health. Katan Kitchens continues to research local quinoa production and now aims to produce and prepare the highest quality Ontario-grown quinoa in the marketplace.
VALUE CHAIN MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL
Value Chain Management International (VCMI) is dedicated to helping businesses, primarily in the agricultural and food industry, to enhance their long-term profitability and environmental sustainability. The company achieves this by enabling businesses to develop close consumer-focused relationships with customers and suppliers, which provides them with the ability to adapt to changing market conditions and mitigate risks more effectively than if working unilaterally.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Jamie Draves — President and CEO, Katan Kitchens
Tel: 289.839.0097
Email: jdraves@katan.ca
Martin Gooch, PhD — CEO, Value Chain Management International Inc.
Tel: 416.997.7779
E-mail: martin@vcm-international.com