Mike and Anne Noel of Petrofka Bridge Orchard, near Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan, hosted a delegation of 10 agri-tourism participants from the Charlevoix District of Quebec, March 26. This was the second delegation Petrofka Bridge Orchard has hosted in recent years. Josee Bourgoin, project organizer for l'assemblee communautaire fransaskoise (ACF) of Prince Albert, worked collaboratively with University of Regina L'Institute Fransaskoise and the Duck Lake/St. Louis District to make the tour a reality.
One of the Terroir regions of Quebec is called the Charlevoix District, which is a region rich in agriculture and tourism, much like rural Saskatchewan, and the delegates were eager to learn and to share their wealth of knowledge and information regarding entrepreneurship and business operations.
The exchange is a pilot project intended to revitalize rural Saskatchewan by providing an opportunity for local producers to market their product at the farm gate. Some producers have been able to capitalize on the value-added benefit and are willing to share their knowledge with similar individuals/businesses in other regions of Canada to create a larger marketing area. It is an opportunity for regional leaders to assist with the revitalization of rural areas.
Objectives of the exchange tours include establishing lines of communication between the region of Charlevoix and the Batoche region; identifying and learning municipal similarities; exchanging economic benefits of art, culture and a second language with another region; and possibly developing a mentorship program for entrepreneurs between the two regions.
Mike and Anne know firsthand the benefits of developing a positive working relationship with acquaintances in Quebec. A special bond has developed between the Noels and Charlevoix District through their friendship with Michel Pedneault from the Isle-aux-coudres. While the Noels were on a discovery mission to learn how to make apple cider vinegar, they spent time with Pedneault who was very obliging with information regarding the manufacturing of his products. Michel is the third generation proprietor of Pedneault Cider House offering 23 products. Mike and Anne returned to their Saskatchewan orchard with the special perfected recipe. He assisted the Noels with the perfection of their recipe for apple cider vinegar. During this visit, Michel assisted Mike with testing the acidity of the vinegar and reduction of the 'mother vinegar' from the large curing vats to balance out the mother vinegar.
The ten guests included Michel Pedneault, Mario Duchesne, Jean Fortin, Damien Girard, Diane Harvey, Dominique Labbe, Pierre Landry, Andre Simard, Annie Vaillancourt, and Ludivine Tatieu-Bilhere and organizers Josee Bourgoin and Michel Dube.
After a tour of the Noels' apple processing facility and retail outlet, the delegation was invited into the Noel home to enjoy fresh Saskatoon berry pie and sample Saskatchewan wine produced by Living Sky Winery in Perdue. Vance Lester and Susan Echlin, acquaintances of the Noels, work collaboratively to promote each others' products. The collaborative effort is a strong passion of Mike's, who has also discussed with the local 12-40 tour group sharing and building a collaborative effort to promote each venue's products.
The three-day tour allowed the delegation to visit not only Petrofka Bridge Orchard but also the dairy barns at the University of Saskatchewan, the Mendel Art Gallery, Wanuskewin Heritage Park, the murals of Duck Lake, Belle Pulses Inc, artisan Pat Adams, Batoche National Historic Site, Fort Rabut, Begrand Farms and Ecole St-Isidore de Bellevue where a series of presentations were made, including one of the region and one made by the delegation.
Mike Noel presented Michel Pedneault with a painting by Doreen Kalmakoff, local Blaine Lake artist, depicting a Saskatchewan prairie scene of an elevator and wheat. The gift was in appreciation of Pedneault's assistance towards the Noel's project and business venture.
