In the last year Coronation Hall Cider Mills has done some renovations and added more to its product line, and are excited to reopen their doors next month to share that with the community.

On March 11, Greg Graham, owner, held a media event to announce the new products and the return of events. People can expect the products they know and love such as the ciders, apple butters, BBQ sauce and jelly but in addition they now have . . .

red peper jelly, beet pickles and new baked goods.

Once the snow starts to melt, they invite locals to come enjoy a drink on their new patio, as they have acquired a license to serve alcoholic beverages. Coronation Hall will be back in full swing with events, dances concerts scheduled for the summer, as well as dinners in the orchard again.

“I never thought I’d see the day where we’re one of the older businesses on the block now, and that’s why it was time for a renovation and a renewal,” said Greg. He added they have been in business for almost 13 years to this day.

Garry Graham noted that today’s event was about reminding people of what they do on their farm. “We’re just trying to get more people interested in not only local food but tasting different foods,” he said.

When speaking about his farm, Garry took great pride in what he and his family do. “We do everything with those apples, we plant the trees, we grow the apples, we process the apples ourselves. We bottle all the products in the kitchen here, we sell them and we deliver them ourselves,” he said.

As Norma Graham talked about the different products, she told The Equity their product line is inspired by what people like, she said, “people wanted it they asked about it, so that dictates what we make.”

Because baking is such a labour intensive job, Norma pointed out that it’s a team effort, which is why they hired Shirley Morin in September to help out in the kitchen. She specializes in making all the relishes and preserves. “I retired from banking and I decided I’ll just do some little part time thing and they were happy to have me, and I was happy to be here,” said Morin.

MRC Pontiac warden, Jane Toller, attended the event and said that she was pleased to be at their event and encourages the Graham family to continue the work they are doing as they contribute a great deal to agro-tourism in this region.

“I think something that draws people to an area like the Pontiac is they can see that we are revitalizing and emerging,” said Toller. She believes the Pontiac brand is “contagious” and what attracts people to the area is the wilderness.

She added that the MRC is encouraging entrepreneurial efforts, “because many small businesses add up to a lot of economic development.”

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