Family farm receives $350,000 for expansion

Some of the most delicious and renowned goat products are being produced right in our own backyard.

The Skotidakis Goat Farm, located just outside St-Eugene, is a 500-acre family owned and operated farm that has been producing fine dairy products for 35 years.

Family patriarch Peter Skotidakis purchased the farm in 1975 and started his dream project with only 20 goats.

Skotidakis introduced his cheese to local markets and restaurants in Montreal. As demand for his product grew, the small goat herd swelled to more than 3,000 goats.

Today, the farm processes approximately 15 million of goat's milk per year and, thanks to a hand-up from the provincial government, will be expanding its successful business to include cream cheese.

Jean-Marc Lalonde, MPP from Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, paid a visit to the farm last Friday, March 5, to announce that the province would be committing $350,000 to the family's $1 million expansion project.

"We are funding 35 per cent of the costs of this endeavour," he commented. "We are dedicated to supporting local food producers and helping meet consumer demand for healthy, locally produces and produced food."

John Skotidakis, Peter's son and current president of the operation, said the expansion will allow the farm to produce eight ounce and 1.5 kilogram bars of cream cheese and joins other fine products such as feta cheese, ricotta cheese, pressed yogurt and tzatziki, a yogurt-based spread made of garlic and cucumber.

"This investment from the province is welcomed tremendously," John stated. "This is a great time for our company to expand and diversify, create new positions and increase demand from local dairy farmers."

He explained that the $1 million project will see the purchase and installation of fully automatic multi-size filling and wrapping equipment and will allow the farm to produce 30,000 cases of private label cream cheese bars for major grocery chains in Ontario and Quebec. Similarly, it will also allow the farm to process an additional seven million litres of milk.

It is estimated the expansion will create 10 new jobs at the farm, boosting its workforce from 45 to 55 employees.

"We are so pleased to be creating jobs in the community," John commented. "We've been hit hard by the economic breakdown and this is our way of bouncing back. I am optimistic about the future of our business."

Hawkesbury East mayor Robert Kirby said he was proud to have such a "successful and forward-thinking" business in his community.

"We are very proud of you and very fortunate to have you in our community," he said.

The investment comes courtesy of the province's Rural Economic Development (RED) program, which assists with the costs of projects that benefit rural Ontario.

The RED program focuses on projects that support the food processing sector, community revitalization, improves access to skills training and enhancement and improves access to health care services.