An Espanola and Little Current business are both winners of the 35th Annual Northern Ontario Business Awards.
The winners were announced this week.
Nominated by mayor and council, Farquhar’s Dairy of Espanola is the winner of the Innovation Award 2021.
Between 2018 and 2020, the company teamed up with Cambrian Innovates, the research and development arm of Cambrian College in Sudbury, to build a new chiller system.
The Manitoulin Hotel & Conference Centre in Little Current is the winner of the Company of the Year in the 16-50 employees category.
Open since 2013, it has met a need for additional accommodations while enhancing the tourism industry.
In all, nine Northern Ontario businesses were recognized for their innovations and business acumen.
Farquhar’s Dairy has been in operation – producing butter, milk and ice cream – since 1933, but the long-time producer embraces new processes and technologies to remain efficient and relevant in today’s competitive dairy industry. This one-of-a-kind project, which enlisted the help of students at the college, reduces energy use, boosts efficiency, and makes the operation more environmentally friendly.
The Manitoulin Hotel & Conference Centre is collectively owned by six area First Nations, the hotel generates revenue for its members, boosts the marketing profile of Manitoulin Island, and creates employment for residents. In 2019, the hotel employed 78 people, 80 per cent of whom identified as status First Nation.
