THE RE-FRESH PROJECT
WHY RE-FRESH?
The mission of the Re-Fresh Project is to connect farmers/producers with damaged, malformed, overripe, or otherwise unsalable fruit with end users (such as craft breweries) who can use these fruits to develop their products.
Our objective is to increase sales of Ontario-grown produce, increase potential profits for locally-owned craft breweries, and decrease the amount of waste going to landfills.
FARMERS/PRODUCERS
Ontario farmers are an essential part of the Canadian economy, contributing over 159,000 jobs and over $13.7 billion to the GDP.
However, farming is also a risky business. Many things can cause produce to become unsuitable for market sale over the course of a season, like adverse weather conditions.
Cosmetic imperfections (such as blemishes), shape, size, age, and damage can also make fruit unacceptable by market standards. This often means that as much as 30% of produce grown in Canada is rejected before it can be sold.
Farmers sometimes sell their seconds at Farmer's Markets, make juices, ciders, jams and jellies, or offer them as animal feed to other farmers. However, this often doesn't alleviate the financial strain caused by non-marketable produce.
The Re-Fresh Project offers farmers the chance to recoup missed potential fruit revenue by allowing them to post available seconds for sale in the fruit listings where brewers can find them.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
That's what the Re-Fresh Project is all about!
WHAT RE-FRESH OFFERS
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We offer a point of contact between farmers and breweries.
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We offer a space for farmers to list their available fruit seconds for sale where interested breweries can find them.
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We offer a space for breweries looking for a particular fruit to post offers where farmers can find them.
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We offer an interactive map of the companies participating in the program, so our participants can find business partners within their area.
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We offer a detailed growing list to alert our brewery participants as to what fruit is in season and when.
What are you waiting for? Join the Re-Fresh Project today!
BREWERIES
Craft brewing in Ontario has seen a massive rise in popularity in the past five years, with the number of craft breweries expanding from 310 to 775 from 2010-2016.
Craft brewing is a rapidly expanding industry and appeals to a niche market through an abundant selection of different choices.
The recent Breweries in Canada Industry Report mentions that brewers that produce a variety of beer styles can attain a marketing advantage on larger companies (such as Labatt) by appealing to a greater range of customer tastes.
Many craft breweries have attempted to broaden their market share with the introduction of limited edition fruit-based beers. However, high transport fees and cost of materials can sometimes erode at profit margins.
The Re-Fresh Project offers brewers the chance to obtain fruit in an affordable and environmentally responsible way by allowing them to search and post offers in the fruit listings.