Town & Country

C M Y K 6 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 DAUPHIN fusioncu.com Apply today: At Fusion, we believe what goes around comes around. The Full Circle Fund helps our members and our communities do great things. Pommier recirculation parts OEM quality guards and sickle sections Large selection of Banjo flange and sprayer fittings in stock Box 1090 17 Elm Ave. Roblin, MB R0L 1P0 B usiness is blossoming in Dauphin where the province's first large-scale vegetable greenhouse is cropping up to provide fresh produce across Manitoba and beyond. Vermillion Growers is putting down roots with a state-of-the-art facility that aims to grow high-quality produce when the project comes to fruition. "Vermillion Growers was born out of the desire to create economic development in the community of Dauphin," says Maria Deschauer, who is one of the company's managing directors. "A group of us got together and we felt that something in the ag area was a really good fit for the community." Phase 1 of the project is currently underway to create 10 acres of a high-tech greenhouse for vegetable production. "Our first crop is going to be tomatoes. We're just starting the build so we're hoping to actually have tomatoes shipping out early in 2021," Deschauer says. "Once we're up and running, the first phase will be employing about 53 employees, with 15 full-time and 38 part-time positions." The economic ripple effect has already begun since a team has been working on this initiative for a couple years already, including a project engineer and a junior grower. "We are already creating jobs, although we're not yet up and running. The first 10 acres is about a $31-million project, so it's bringing a massive amount of investment into the city of Dauphin," Deschauer says. "We're going to be using the facilities initially for a lot of training because our intention is to be expanding as quickly as possible. So, we need to make sure that we have the labour force trained and ready to go for expansion." Many people wonder why the facility is being built in Dauphin, yet the benefits are clear to see for all involved. "The location is perfect for distribution to the three major distribution centres for large grocery stores in Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon. So, logistically, it's in a very good spot within three or four hours to each of those locations," Deschauer says. "Also, the climate is great for a greenhouse. It's much easier to warm a greenhouse than to cool it. So even though we do have very harsh winters, we'll be able to keep things nice and toasty warm inside." Production will begin with tomatoes on the vine, and plans are already in the works to eventually include other crops. "Tomatoes are the second most demanded fresh product on the market, following potatoes. As well, tomatoes are hardy in the greenhouse for a first crop for beginner greenhouse growers. It has a long life cycle, so we basically have one massive crop for one year. The vines actually grow to 40 feet long and it's a continual harvest," Deschauer says. "Once our tomato production is secure and working well and as we expand our acreage, we'll begin farming peppers and cucumbers, and maybe eggplant and perhaps strawberries. Our facility can easily adapt to the market needs, meaning that it can accommodate almost any crop. So that's also very positive about this facility." Production will continue year- round, so fresh tomatoes will be available even in the middle of winter. "Our goal is to have them from the vine to the market within 24 hours of picking," Deschauer says. "It's a very sustainable model in terms of business and environment." The community of Dauphin has been incredibly supportive of the initiative, she added. "We have raised money for the project via the Small Business Venture Capital Tax Credit program. This is a program that allowed our investors to get a 45 per cent Manitoba tax credit if they invest in Vermillion Growers," she says. "We had a lot of investors excited to get involved and we still do have room available for more, if anyone is interested." The future is bright for the greenhouse, which will bolster the local economy and create a sustainable community while also producing nutritious food for a healthy population. "At Vermillion Growers, our goal is to make Dauphin a horticultural centre for Manitoba so we will be expanding as quickly as possible once we get our first 10 acres up and running," Deschauer says. "The current site is good for about 30 acres, and then hopefully we'll be expanding even more beyond that." For more information about Vermillion Growers, visit www. vermilliongrowers.com or call 204- 701-0120. BY JENNIFER MCFEE VERMILLION GROWERS Locally-grown greenhouse sprouts up in Dauphin Management of Vermillion Growers say Dauphin is the ideal location for the state-of-the-art greenhouse operation. T he city of Dauphin has been a hub of economic activity in recent months, thanks in part to a number of new initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship in the western Manitoba community and surrounding Parkland region.0 Those efforts got a major financial boost this summer when the federal government announced in June that it would provide $1.2 million in funding for economic devel- opment activities in the region through the Women Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Fund. The fund provides financing through West- ern Economic Diversification Canada. The funding will be administered through Community Futures Parkland, a community-based economic renewal initia- tive funded by the federal government and directed by a local volunteer board. A portion of those funds will be used to create two new entrepreneurial hubs, one in Dauphin and another in Flin Flon. Each hub will serve as a one-stop shop of knowl- edge, information, networking and training tailored to the needs of female entrepre- neurs. The Dauphin hub recently hired two full- time staff and acquired space in an office building in the city's downtown. An official opening is scheduled for late October to co- incide with Small Business Week. Program manager Carissa Caruk-Ganczar says the new space will offer a variety of pro- grams for female entrepreneurs, from those dreaming of starting their own business to established businesspeople who are looking to grow their enterprise. That will include space for hub staff, flex space for a pop-up retail area, co-working space that will be available for rent, a boardroom, a photog- raphy studio and two areas where entrepre- neurs can meet with clients. "We're really trying to cultivate that sense of community, that community of women, through all stages of business so that they can learn from each other and connect with each other," she says. Caruk-Ganczar, who previously worked as economic development manager for the City of Dauphin, says having a dedicated space will allow her agency to bring a num- ber of already established initiatives in the region together under one roof. "We've had some great programs going on in our region over the last little while. What's been missing is we haven't had a dedicated space for all this to happen. We had to rent facilities throughout the com- munity or region. Not having a consistent space that felt like home was challenging," she says. "This space is going to be a key hub of ac- tivity for people to get their feet wet and to start and expand and grow (their business) with the intention that hopefully we can fill more spaces and encourage more develop- ment and keep that whole ball rolling." Caruk-Ganczar says the purpose of the hub isn't to reinvent the wheel, but rather to work with partners like the Dauphin Neigh- bourhood Renewal Corp. to help existing programs to continue and grow. One of those initiatives is the Unity: Women's Maker Collective. The social en- terprise provides women an opportunity to learn how to make arts and crafts items and then helps them to develop the business skills needed to sell the goods they produce. A number of past participants have gone on to find meaningful employment in the com- munity. The collective has been so success- ful, a second group of 20 participants began taking part in a new round of training that began Sept. 12. "They had a great pilot intake this past year. It was just a wonderful success. They created some amazing projects and had some great support from the community," Caruk-Ganczar adds. Having access to the hub's dedicated space also means that programs like the Rural Women's Entrepreneur Network and the Business Incubator Program will be able to expand. Caruk-Ganczar expects the network to grow now that members will be able to meet in one spot rather than floating between multiple locations. The incubator program will be offered again beginning in 2020 with a new influx of applicants. Caruk-Ganczar says that the hub will also be a partner in this year's Take the Leap: Manitoba's Rural Entrepreneur Conference, scheduled for Oct. 29 in Dauphin. The event, which promotes networking oppor- tunities, attracts hundreds of rural entrepre- neurs from across the province each year. "Last year we hosted our 10th conference in Dauphin and quite honestly we thought we were going to have to take a pause. We had all of these other great projects rolling out and we just didn't know if we had the capacity to do it. Thankfully with this fund- ing and the fact we have more staff we're able to bring it back." DAUPHIN DAUPHIN ECONOMIC Dauphin a real hub of activity BY JIM TIMLICK A new federally-funded knowledge hub in Dauphin will help initiatives like the Unity: Women's Maker Collective social enterprise to continue to grow. Winnipeg Free Press filler ads Nature Manitoba - Mantario Cabin committee - for technical concerns, contact Brian Hydesmith design@hydesmith.com 204 487 0067 Unplug. Reconnect with nature. Unplug. Reconnect with nature. MantarioCabin.ca naturemanitoba.ca Unplug. Reconnect with nature. MantarioCabin.ca MantarioCabin.ca MantarioCabin.ca Unplug. MantarioCabin.ca Unplug. MantarioCabin.ca Nature. Manitoba. MantarioCabin.ca MantarioCabin.ca MantarioCabin.ca MantarioCabin.ca MantarioCabin.ca Unplug. Reconnect with nature. MantarioCabin.ca Unplug. Reconnect with nature. MantarioCabin.ca Unplug. Reconnect with nature. Unplug. Reconnect with nature. MantarioCabin.ca Unplug. 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