Ontario farmers use local crops to produce value-added healthy foods.
Kim and Ben Dietrich of Bornholm Ontario have expanded their farm operation to take on an opportunity to add value to their farm. They use locally grown crops to produce healthy products that address dietary challenges for family and other consumers. Dietrich’s received a 2012 regional Ontario Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence, a program recognizing innovators who contribute to the success of Ontario’s agri-food sector.
The Dietrich’s were both raised on farms; Kim’s parents farm 1000 acres of beans nearby, and Ben grew up on a dairy farm. “Our 100 acre farm has 85 acres of cropland for coloured beans and corn, plus one broiler chicken barn on site and we manage a second broiler barn offsite as well as ,” says Kim Dietrich. “We started our on-farm value-added business ‘Full of Beans’ four years ago after we started looking for alternatives for our son who had a severe case of eczema. We were recommended to put him on a wheat, dairy and soy free diet, so we turned to local bean flour.”
Dietrich was familiar with the flour through her mother, who has been the secretary for the Ontario Coloured Bean Growers Association for many years. “We tried the bean flour as an alternative and learned how to make different kinds of foods and baked goods,” explains Dietrich. “We also participated in local farmers’ markets and food festivals to learn more about consumers concerns and needs, which helped us improve recipe development and packaging.”
Full of Beans currently offers 11 different gluten-free baking mixes, six different bean mixes and a seasonal salsa at over 50 stores and bakeries in Ontario. Dietrich works with one distributor out of Waterloo who manages most of the stores. She works directly with about 10 stores in the local area as well as the on-farm store and on-line store herself.
Dietrich currently purchases the bean flour, which is made locally in Ontario, and makes a range of bread, cookies, cakes, brownies and pancake mixes. “For the bean mixes, if we didn’t grow that type of bean that year, then I source them from a local coop in the area that can guarantee the beans are from local growers,” says Dietrich. “A lot of beans you buy in grocery stores are not necessarily local products. We do produce a deluxe soup mix, which includes lentils and some other pulses that we have to source elsewhere in Canada since they don’t grow in Ontario. Using our own crops and crops from local growers is a priority for our business.”
Currently, Dietrich processes everything on farm by hand in a dedicated space, except for the salsa that is produced in a rented certified kitchen facility. Dietrich initially tried to manage the business part-time, but with small children at home and the increasing demand for products, she made the plunge to be full-time in the business. “It was a huge decision and the concerns over financial stability made it a challenge, but it has worked out well as part of our overall farm business.”
One of the challenges for any food business is to ensure they meet all of the regulatory and labeling requirements required by the federal government. “I’ve had a few speed bumps along the way, and one of them was labeling,” says Dietrich. “I had labels designed and printed, only to discover I wasn’t provided with all of the information I needed for proper nutritional labeling and labeling for allergens. It is really important to do your homework on all of the CFIA regulations and labeling requirements ahead of time. I also found out that CFIA is easy to work with, and it wasn’t as difficult as I first thought it would be.”
“After four years, our business is going very well, however our next challenge is to be able to expand to meet the increasing demand for products,” says Dietrich. “In order to expand, we will need to either build some new equipment or a new facility or hire staff. Our longer term goals are to build a big canning facility and mill on the farm, to allow us to expand the business.” Dietrich recently won the 2012 Woman of the Year in Agriculture in Perth County Award.
Flour made from beans is 100% gluten free and provides more calcium, iron, potassium, B-vitamins and fiber than most other gluten-free flours, making them ideal for managing diets for those with celiac disease.
Contact:
Kim Dietrich
Ph: (519) 347-2091
Email: [email protected]