Description

In September 2009, a group of community leaders were invited to attend a meeting to take stock of the many assets in the community, assess what was lacking and what was needed, and answer the question, “How can we make Albert County better?”

This gave rise to several organizations, focusing on different areas such as transportation, communication, local government and food security.

Foods of the Fundy Valley is the group that decided to focus on food security and the local food economy in general. We incorporated in October 2010 as a non-profit corporation whose mission is to foster an environment that promotes the production and consumption of local foods and local goods in the Albert County Area. We are governed by an elected Board of Directors, and are supported by many passionate and energetic volunteers throughout the community – farmers, bakers, innkeepers, teachers, business owners, accountants, cooks, scientists, artists, people from all walks of life… all of whom share a common love of food and community.

We believe that, to accomplish our mission, we need to start from the ground up. We have established programs in partnership with the Hillsborough and Riverside Schools, to work with kids from grades K-12, and teach them to grow, prepare, cook and eat fresh, nutritious food right from our soil. Little Green Thumbs, Caledonia Growing, Riverside School Garden Club, and Kids in the Kitchen are all successful programs that have been running for the past several years.

Food producers need an outlet for their goods, and residents need a place to go for local food, without having to make the long drive to the nearest supermarket or box store. We have a seasonal Fundy Fresh Community Market at the Artisan’s Village in Hillsborough that serves as a showcase for the many talented New Brunswick food producers from Albert County and beyond.  We have local meats, poultry, cheeses, breads and other baked goods, eggs, produce, preserves, coffees, teas and much more. The list of vendors is still growing. We are open during the summer season, from Victoria Day through the month of October.

We also operate a Community Food Smart bulk food buying club.  Participants can obtain fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices once a month throughout the year.

Finally, because we are proud of the seafood, meats, poultry, fruits and vegetables grown in our local area, as well as the preserves, baked goods, condiments and other food related items produced within our community, we have developed the Fundy Fresh logo that our business members can proudly display in their places of business. We will also have Fundy Fresh labels that producers can use to distinguish their products as locally grown or made. So, the next time you see the Fundy Fresh label on a delectable food item, you’ll know that it was produced right here in your own back yard.