by WGO staff
The Pan Cape Breton Food Hub has purchased a building which will be the site of its processing facility. The building, located in Bras d’Or, was formerly the Celtic Country Market.
“This facility will be a game-changer in our whole industry,” says Alicia Lake, Executive Director of the Food Hub. “Farmers and food businesses will be able to expand, and more people will get to eat Cape Breton-grown food year-round.”
In 2018, the Cape Breton Food Hub undertook a strategic planning exercise engaging food stakeholders across Cape Breton to identify the way forward for the food sector in our region. One of the biggest gaps identified in that process was the need for an on-island, multi-use food processing facility.
“During the past year, the Board of Directors and staff have been working diligently to locate and purchase a building that could be renovated into a processing facility that would meet the needs of our producers and consumers,” says Alison Giovanetti, consumer and board member of the Food Hub. “This building is well-suited for the project.”
“This processing facility will change the local food landscape in Cape Breton by creating opportunities, increasing access to local foods, and incubating food businesses,” Lake says.
Xennie Wright from Pebble and Fern Market Garden—a producer member of the Food Hub—agrees. “Having this facility will allow us to expand our operations; being able to offer new products is super exciting,” says Wright.
Founded in 2015, the Pan Cape Breton Food Hub Co-op Ltd. provides a distribution link between local food producers and consumers, creating a more sustainable food system by increasing the viability of local producers while improving access to high-quality local food. The Co-op believes that when you buy or sell food through the Cape Breton Food Hub you are contributing to a more vibrant local food economy and becoming part of an island-wide food community. The Co-op includes both producers and consumers as members. Its 10-person Board of Directors includes producers, consumers, and restaurants. The strategic document referred to in the text is available on the Food Hub Website.
