The battle is on to save an iconic northern Ontario business.
Gay Lea Foods has announced the immediate, permanent closure of Thornloe Cheese. Its store is located on Highway 11 north of Temiskaming Shores.
"This has come as a shock to the community," says John Vanthof, MPP Timiskaming-Cochrane in a Facebook post.
"Years ago, when Parmalat announced they were closing the plant, local dairy farmers supported by the greater community strongly encouraged the company to sell the plant and production quota to local interests. In the end, Gencor, a farmer cooperative, took the plant over. It was transformed from a single-product plant to a producer of award-winning, much-loved cheeses and other dairy products," says Vantof.
Gay Lea took over the plant in 2019. It is also a Canadian farmer-owned co-operative with members on more than 1,400 dairy farms across Ontario and Manitoba
"I was supportive of the sale at the time because of Gay Lea's past commitment to local communities.
"As someone who was involved in the Parmalat transfer phase of the plant, as a former dairy farmer, and a Gay Lea shareholder, I am extremely disappointed. I have spoken to the CEO of the company and will speak to other stakeholders in the upcoming days to see what can be done."
The MPP adds, "We fought too long and too hard to save Thornloe Cheese to just wave and say goodbye."
Thornloe targets independent grocers, and farmers' markets for its distribution strategy, and recently doubled its annual revenues to $14 million
See: Thornloe Cheese is a 'disruptor' in competitive agri-food sector
Thornloe Cheese has been a respected local producer of cheese and cheese curds in northeastern Ontario for over 75 years. The business employs 35 people and is celebrated for its specialty cheeses, as well as for introducing the first butter and cheeses made with milk sourced from Dairy Farmers of Ontario Verified Grass Fed program.
The company's website says "Our customers call us Pride of the North."
