April 2, 2002
Dennis Barker for several years has been self-employed in the commercial sprout industry that he ran from his homestead near Shannonville. His wife, Gail, joined him in the family operation; their business grew, but it was still a small, obscure, home-based operation.
They introduced numerous specialty sprout products to the Canadian market only to have major growers copy each product. At that time, Dennis knew the nutritional value of his product and could see that this could be a growing industry, as consumers were becoming more health conscious.
The Barkers decided that they had to get big or get swallowed up by the bigger competitors. However, the banks were reluctant to lend them the money they needed to expand and move into a more professional establishment in Belleville.
It was at that time that Dennis heard that Trenval Business Development Corporation would issue business loans for worthy local job creation initiatives. Trenval was approached and they approved a significant loan to cover what they thought was a risky, but potentially worthy project.
Within the year Canadian Organic Sprout Company came into contact with other companies who then formed a major cooperative partnership. The partners knew that sprouts, such as flax, are very high in omega 3 healthy fatty acids. They now have a dryer that can cold dry the products such as flax sprouts, berries etc. and preserve the nutrients to be added to other baking and cooking products.
Trenval submitted this success story to the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations who presented Dennis and Gail Barker with their 2001 Technology Award.
On January 30, 2002, the Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Brian Coburn, announced the investment of $253,000 into the project. The other industry partners anticipate as much as 3.5 million in additional investment and the potential of 25 full time jobs.
Dennis Barker, the President of Canadian Organic Sprout Company Inc. states, "It has been a very exciting year for us. Thanks to all the support and the loan from Trenval,we were able to be in a position to take this business to a level higher than that we had even dreamed of".
