Premium gluten-free oat certification to expand production to Northern Ontario

Rockwood, ON — Katan Kitchens has received funding through the federal-provincial-territorial Growing Forward 2 (GF2) of up to $17,195 to work with producers in Northern Ontario in piloting a premium gluten-free oat certification program.

Grain Farmers of Ontario is supporting the project through funding provided by the 2017 Grains Innovation Fund.

Katan Kitchens, a research firm responsible for six years of research and development of premium Ontario grown Quinta Quinoa, is working to expand the use of, and the demand for, gluten-free oats in Ontario. Main objectives for the project are to work with Northeastern Ontario producers to simplify the transition to gluten free production and educate them on the premium markets for these oats.

“The goal of this project is to diversify Ontario agriculture by developing new and emerging alternative crops in line with existing food trends such as vegan protein sources, and gluten-free and allergen free foods, in our efforts to bring higher revenues to Northern Ontario farmers” said company president and CEO Jamie Draves in a press statement.

Katan Kitchens developed a complete value chain system for gluten-free quinoa production in Ontario, from production, through to processing and marketing/sales. Katan now looks to begin a beneficial rotation of gluten-free crops in Northern Ontario through this project. This project will act as a pilot program that can be expanded to build infrastructure and a processing facility to dry and process gluten-free crops in Northern Ontario. The project will conclude in the fall of 2017.

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