Frontenac CFDC makes announcement at AGM

Jeff Green | Jun 22, 2016

The FAB (Food and Beverage) region was one of the focal points of the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation’s Annual General Meeting on June 14.

One of the presenters at the event was Back Forty Cheese of Mississippi Station in North Frontenac. Jeff Fenwick of Back Forty, outlined the role that the marketing of the FAB region and the incentives and support provided by the FCFDC played in the decision he made with his wife Jenna to move each of their businesses to Frontenac County from Lanark County.

Anne Prichard, executive director of the Frontenac CFDC, also talked about some of the new initiatives being undertaken by the Wolfe Island Grill and Seed to Sausage.

The Food and Beverage Region was set up by Hastings, Lennox and Addington and Prince Edward Counties and the Frontenac CFDC, but even before that, Anne Prichard was working hard to promote craft brewing as a business opportunity in Frontenac County. The FCFDC was involved with the founding of MacKinnon Brothers Brewery, which is located in nearby Bath, but until now there has not been a craft brewer in Frontenac County.

That is all changing, however, because Rene Ziegelmaier - a Brazilian of German descent – is poised to open the Wolfe Island Craft Brewery. Working in conjunction with Casey Fisher from the Wolfe Island Grill, Ziegelmaier is going to be renovating the former Kraft building on Wolfe Island, which has been used to house a ship-building operation, and turning it into a brewing and bottling plant.

Zielgemaier said he is interested in brewing some of the traditional German beer styles such as lagers and Pilsners, but also some of the modern imperial stout and pale ale styles. These are taking off as Ontario beer drinkers expand their horizons because of all the new breweries that are being established.

He is also looking at setting up a tap room somewhere in downtown Kingston as part of the roll-out of his business, which will all be happening in 2017.

“Rene is passionate about making beer and that was a key element in all this,” said Anne Prichard.

The FCFDC also announced that their loan portfolio has reached its highest levels since they were established some ten years ago.