2009 / 2008 / 2007 / 2006

Premier's Award Winner

Pictured, left to right: Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Shawn and Petra Cooper; Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company – Prince Edward County

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company is combining tradition with innovation - the fine craft of artisan cheese-making, in a modern, green environment. The dairy is the largest cheese manufacturing facility in Eastern Ontario to process goat and sheep milk. It’s also Canada’s only certified Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) dairy.

This state-of-the-art facility’s solar, wind and geothermal technologies have helped reduce its energy consumption by 60 per cent. The dairy’s sustainability theme is carried throughout the entire enterprise, from environmentally-friendly waste processing to green cleaning agents and biodegradable packaging. Their chevre (goat cheese) packaging, for instance, is a corn-based container that is 100 per cent biodegradable. The dairy has also created subterranean caves crafted out of poured cement to age its cheese. The walls are left unfinished and natural, providing a steady, cool environment with little energy required.

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company has received multiple industry ‘green building’ awards for using environmentally friendly materials, such as sustainable wood and an innovative, green concrete mix. The dairy has also garnered top wards for its products, and promotes cheese education by offering regular cheese tasting seminars, courses and summer internships.

When it comes to producing a quality product, ‘going green’ and sharing knowledge, you could say this dairy is ‘the big cheese’ in its field.