The Niagara Development Corridor

Niagara Development Corridor hosts Taste of Niagara Reception in Toronto

The Niagara Development Corridor Partnership hosted "A Taste of Niagara Reception" on May 17,^th, 2011, in Toronto. The reception featured Niagara-produced food and wine to attendees who were primarily from the United States and abroad. The reception was scheduled to coincide with the SIAL Canada Food Conference which was held in Toronto for the first time ever. Involving 700 exhibitors and more than 14,000 delegates, the conference was well attended by buyers representing retail, wholesale and food service companies. The event provided an opportunity for the Niagara Development Corridor Partnership to work with Niagara's important agri-food manufacturing sector to showcase and promote its high-quality food products to a key audience of global buyers, distributors, brokers and trade commissioners. In recent years this sector has experienced several new investments and expansions by existing companies. " The reception provided an excellent opportunity to introduce food products manufactured by companies in Niagara, to a key audience of buyers and distributors," said David Oakes, Director of Economic Development and Tourism Services for the City of St. Catharines." The event is another excellent example of how the local economic development offices and businesses are working together to promote the quality products and services Niagara has to offer," added Oakes. "This event served as an unprecedented opportunity for Niagara food manufacturers and exporters to develop productive relationships with buyers and distributors, giving them access to key markets", said Stephen Thompson, General Manager & Director Economic Development, Tourism & Marketing for the City of Port Colborne. "It was also an excellent opportunity to help support and strengthen businesses already here in our communities, a key priority in our economic development strategy." Companies providing product featured and served at the reception included: Pinty's New Food Classics Konzelman Estate Winery Roman Cheese Niagara Specialty Foods Rich's Canada Greaves Jam Candy by Katie, and Upper Canada Cheese
		From left: Melanie Ter Meulen, Canadian Trade Commissioner (The Hague) meets with Thane MacKenzie and Tony Spiteri from Pinty’s Delicious Foods of Port Colborne during the Taste of Niagara Event in Toronto on May 11, 2011

		From left: Brian York, Economic Development Officer, City of St. Catharines, New Food Classics representatives, Pavla Kazda, Business Development Manager, Eastern Canada, Dale Maksymyk, VP Sales and Marketing, Doug Oakey, Senior Director, Business Development, David Oakes, Director of Economic Development and Tourism Services, City of St. Catharines and Jim Thibert, General Manager, Fort Erie Economic Development & Tourism Corporation

Anthony Spiteri, Vice President of Marketing for Pinty's, which has a location in Port Colborne stated that "several new relationships were established in just a few hours, while guests enjoyed product from our company and others. I am confident these relationships will lead to new sales opportunities for a number of Niagara companies".

Collaboration with the Ontario Government and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs was also key to the success of the event. “We worked together for several months through the planning, organization and implementation,” added Thompson.

The event was attended by more than 100 guests and 27 Canadian Government investment and trade commissioners who work abroad to promote Canadian trade and investment, the largest group of trade commissioners ever hosted by Niagara.

Representing a new strategic economic development initiative for Niagara, plans are already underway to host a follow-up event in 2-years when the SIAL Canada returns to Toronto.

Formed in 2005 the Niagara Development Corridor is comprised of six partners, City of St. Catharines, City of Niagara Falls, Town of Fort Erie, City of Port Colborne, City of Welland, and the Niagara Economic Development Corporation, which are well-positioned along the QEW-406 highway corridor. The mandate of the Niagara Development Corridor is to address opportunities for new business development and investment attraction relating to specific economic clusters that encompass all partners' communities. The Corridor partners recognize that competitive strength may be derived from proximity and or synergies between their communities and from the proximity and synergies between competing firms, suppliers, labour markets, institutions such as Brock University, Niagara College and research industries that operate within the combined economic geography.