Announcing the launch of the new and improved KawarthaChoice.com

Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) and Kawartha Lakes Economic Development are excited to announce the launch of the refreshed and improved KawarthaChoice.com. As the latest update of the well-established Kawartha Choice FarmFresh (KCFF) program, KawarthaChoice.com is built to connect consumers and local businesses with the Kawartha Region local food sector.

The KCFF program was created as an economic recovery tool in 2003, to showcase and support local food sector businesses in the Kawartha region, and that support continues today. The COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on food businesses across the region, has shed a new light on the desire to eat locally. More consumers than ever are looking for ways to discover and support local food businesses. In response, the KCFF program recognized the opportunity to provide residents and businesses with a modernized and interactive platform.

For residents and visitors to the Kawartha region, this is a place to search for and discover sources of specific local foods and engage with farms, food services, restaurants, farmers’ markets, retail stores and agricultural experiences across the region.

For the local agri-food business community the refreshed online platform provides a destination to find current programs, resources and services; KCFF members can keep their public profile up to date, attract visitors and boost their business; they can also connect, share information and learn from one another through a virtual member hub with forums and message boards.

The refreshed platform KawarthaChoice.com is part of a larger collaborative project funded in part by the government of Ontario, through the Rural Economic Development program, to specifically address regional needs in recovery from the pandemic.

The three-pronged project also included two training programs for farmers and food entrepreneurs to develop skills in value-added food product development and farm financial and business management. An asset inventory and needs analysis was conducted to better capture the current make-up of the agri-food sector and identify areas of future economic development work.

Those looking to find local foods and agricultural experiences are encouraged to visit KawarthaChoice.com often as availability and offerings will be updated regularly. Local food sector businesses are invited to learn more about member benefits and submit a free, online, KCFF membership application today.

For more information please contact either Gabi Dragomir at Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (gdragomir@peterboroughed.ca) or Kelly Maloney at Kawartha Lakes Economic Development (kmaloney@kawarthalakes.ca).