In the 1890s, Aaron Wenger pioneered a cold storage business, shipping butter to England in refrigerated rail cars—setting the stage for Harriston's ice cream odyssey. Enter Barney Whitmore in 1918, and the plant took a daring leap into the world of ice cream, captivating taste buds and sparking a local obsession.
J.S. McLean's acquisition in 1927 opened new chapters for Harriston's plant, integrating it into the Canadian food processing giant, Canada Packers. The late '30s witnessed an ice cream boom, with sales reaching 52,000 gallons in 1943. Despite wartime hurdles, the demand surged after sugar rationing lifted in 1947, hitting 93,000 gallons in 1948.
The plant underwent a sweet metamorphosis in 1948, birthing a larger facility that extended its reach to Toronto by 1949. The rebranded York in 1950, Harriston's ice cream became a household delight across southern Ontario. The '50s ushered in a new era as home freezers made ice cream a year-round indulgence.
Beyond the creamy swirls, the plant danced with butter and powdered milk production, becoming Harriston's largest employer by 1960. The '60s and '70s marked the pinnacle of the dairy plant's success, only to face a somber turn in 1979 when ownership changed hands.
In 1991, the final chapter unfolded—Ault Foods took over, and the curtain fell on Harriston's ice cream legacy. A major blow for the town and its workforce, leaving behind a cherished memory for those who recall the sweet taste of Harriston's ice cream from those golden years.
A scoop of history, served with a sprinkle of nostalgia! 🇨🇦🍦 #HarristonIceCreamSaga #SweetMemories
Credit: Wellington Advertiser, Stephen Thorning (Summarized by AI)
Now that you know a little bit of the history of Harriston I want to tell you how delighted I was to receive a stand for my sidewalk sign from Davie's Antiques that at one time belonged to an ice cream shop. Now, the ice cream shop I don't think was local but it's still ice cream related. You see the town is still quite proud of their history and because of that connection, when you come to visit in the summer you will be greeted with icecream metal ornaments at our welcome sign and throughout the downtown there are ice cream statues that are close to 5' tall all with individual themes. I just feel now I am connected to that theme which makes me feel good inside.
You'll have to read my next blog on my other coinsidential connection to the beginnings of Harriston and a map of Canada.
]]>Pumpkin Soup by The Kilted Chef Alain Bosse Pumpkin
Giuseppe Di Gennaro’s Butternut Squash Soup Butternut Squash Soup
Chili by Chef Ricardo Chili
So, the road trip this weekend was to Kingston to visit our son and take him and two of his siblings snowboarding at the Batawa Ski Hill. I knew I had heard of Batawa from somewhere, so I Googled once again to jar my memory. I was quite happy (because I may have a little interest in that which is Canadian Made) to come to realize that Batawa was the creation of the Bata shoe family. The Bata Shoe Company dates to 1894 Zlin, Czechoslovakia. Europe’s first mass producers of shoes.
Cool Facts: Bata’s head office in Zlin, (circa 1930s) was not only the second-tallest building in Europe when it was built but it had the world’s first elevator office, which allowed the founder to go from floor to floor without even leaving his desk! The name Batawa comes from the combination of the Bata family name and the last syllable in Ottawa. Bata cities are built throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas and many like Batawa incorporate the company name – Bataville in France, Batanager in India, Batatuba in Brazil, & Cali-Bata in Java. |
In brief, Sonja Bata and husband Tomas Bata, in 1939, came to Canada with 120 workers and their families. They built a modernist factory between Toronto and Montreal to make shoes. What is even more interesting was their beliefs around social responsibility of which the town of Batawa was built on. The epitome of a true factory town the Bata Company built houses, schools, churches, sports facilities and a bit later a Post Office. They subsidized the housing to their workers and thus a community was built.
The Batawa factory was closed in 2000 and was sold to a plastics company. Thomas John Bata died at the age of 93 on September 1, 2008, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. After his death Sonja Bata repurchased the entire 1,5oo acre site – objective being to reinvent the town again as a model of sustainable development. 2019 the factory was converted into condos, commercial spaces, and community space all while having a light environmental footprint and intentional strong social mandate.
As we drove into the community the old factory building was as beautiful as ever and as modern as if it had been built today. In 2019 it was converted into condos, commercial spaces, and community space by Sonja Bata. The town has the air of a quaint little resort with its 4 outdoor rinks, a natural playground, trails, Dino dig, and the Batawa Ski hill. Not to mention all these areas had people actively using them. It was Sunday morning and two rinks had shiny hockey games on the go with people of all ages and abilities and the other two rinks had families and people skating around for fun and fresh air. We could see, as we walked to the ski hill, that there were people on the trails and along the Dino dig exploring. When we got to the hill there were bonfires to keep parents warm while they watched their children enjoy skiing and snowboarding.
It was a good day.
I couldn’t help but to think how there are so many stories and rich history that are rooted in manufacturing.
Side Note: In case you didn’t know it there is a Bata Museum in Toronto. I’ve always been curious to go but after learning a bit more about the Bata company’s history and their outstanding commitment to social responsibility I have put this on my list of things to do.
Canadian Architect - Sept 29, 2020]]>By buying Canadian you help to support manufacturing jobs in Canada. These jobs are filled by people who will pay taxes, spend money buying other goods and or services that keeps a healthy Canadian economy, nationally, provincially and locally.
This means more money for all those things we hold dear like Healthcare, Education, Transportation, Environmental Issues, just to name a few. Not to mention Charities big and small – there would be more to go around for them as well.
As more people buy more Canadian made products the demand goes up which creates more jobs. As the demand for Canadian made products increases other people or companies see that it would be viable to build new companies that manufacture different products. This again creates more jobs for more Canadians.
When we buy Canadian we know that the manufacturing industry has regulations regarding Health and Safety Standards, Environmental Emissions, & Quality.
Buying Canadian reduces our carbon footprint. Less transportation plays a big part in making this the greener choice. This became even clearer to me when I read articles regarding how the shipping industry alone ranks as high as some of the worst countries for contributing to global CO2 emissions. How one container ship can emit the same cancer and asthma causing pollutants as 50 million cars. It only takes 15 of these ships to equal the same amount of pollution as all the 760 million cars that are in the world.
Making buying Made in Canada a priority is one of the most simplest ways to make a positive contribution to, not only the world, but to other Canadian families who run these small businesses who may be struggling. It is the domino effect that becomes so much bigger than you alone.
I know we can’t buy everything Canadian Made but we can make it our first choice.
As I write this I am trying to decide what my second choice would be; A Canadian company but made elsewhere or North American Made? My last would be, obviously, owned and manufactured in Asia. Keeping in mind that there are many Canadian owned companies that make sure that they deal with fair and sustainable manufacturers whose quality is spot on, what would your second choice be?
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA)
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According to the Competition Bureau of Canada the lowest conditions a product has to meet in order to be labelled MADE IN CANADA are these three:
The Bureau is ok with a "PRODUCT OF CANADA" claim as long as at least these two criteria are met:
For the most part I have noticed more food items with the label "PRODUCT OF CANADA"
These two labels alone do not encompass all Canadian Owned Companies. In Canada there are many Companies that assemble products using foreign parts or are sewn with imported fabric. Manufactured in Canada doesn't always qualify for "MADE IN CANADA" labelling. There are also many Canadian Owned Companies that design their products but have them manufactured elsewhere.
In these cases I have found that many Canadian companies are fast to let the consumer know that they source ethical and fair manufacturing. The better companies have close ties to their manufacturing facilities and visit them quite often. Their products are usually better quality than the average product manufactured outside of Canada.
Nonetheless when shopping for "Canadian Made" products you really have to be vigilant.
So maybe you do this and maybe you don't but it definitely has been my thing. It's not enough just to know where something is made but I am searching for MADE IN CANADA. I am really disappointed if I find something I like only to discover it was made somewhere else. At the same time when I find something I like and it is MADE IN CANADA I am almost ecstatic! It is almost like winning the lottery! (not that I know what that is like....) This is when I have to find who I am shopping with and show them the treasure I found.
That is exactly what it is like - treasure- because it seems like it is so hard to find amongst all the products we encounter while shopping! Actually it is hard to find. That is one reason why I wanted to open my store EH-2-ZED and write a blog on the topic. To make it easier and less of a hasel finding Canadian Made goods and to showcase the many fabulous things we produce in Canada.
Another reason was that I grew up in a family with proud, hard working, blue collar parents, who took pride in the work they did no matter what that work looked like. For me, this is a way to honour them. I think in general we are all hard working and we strive to do a better than good job. It shows in the quality of the products we do produce.
The next reason is that of the environment. If you are a Canadian you care about the environment. We live in this young vast country where nature is abundant around us. The symbol on our National flag is a maple LEAF. What is a better way, other than going completely off grid, to reduce your environmental footprint than BUYing LOCAL. Local means your neighbourhood, town, county, province, country and all the places in-between these.
Some would say we can't make everything because it is too expensive. What if we spent our money more carefully? Would we be able to afford at least some of those things that are MADE IN CANADA. What if we placed more value on those things we had and what if they lasted longer? I believe it is a win - win for us and the environment.
What's in your house that is made by a Canadian? Let me know I'm curious.
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