Northern Ont. soda pop maker hopes to make fizz at Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

Several northern Ontario small businesses are heading to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this fall thanks to funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor).

For the first time, a booming soda pop business in Sturgeon Falls called The Jester’s Wonder Emporium will be attending the fair, the world’s largest indoor agri-food exhibition.

Many hands make light work at the plant as employees bottle and package up the sweet drinks.

“Here in the north, there’s a little bit of a food desert and a lack of food production,” said Daniel Curylo, the lead instigator of The Jester’s Wonder Emporium.

That inspired Curylo to purchase a beverage production plant. Some of the sweeter ingredients are sourced from local bees and trees.

The business is ready to make its drinks an international guzzle.

“We have been having an exceptional time just trying to keep up with the demand,” he said.

Along with more than 45 other northern Ontario businesses, The Jesters will be attending the fair in Toronto this November as part of the Northern Ontario Agri-Food Pavilion.

The federal government is giving $716,800 to allow Economic Partners Sudbury East/West Nipissing Inc. to host close to 50 agri-food and services businesses at the event.

The pavilion, a premier attraction at the royal fair for more than two decades, has grown in size and scope, reaching 7,100 square feet. Since 2015, the FedNor-funded pavilion has featured close to 400 businesses and organizations from across northern Ontario.

“There’s going to be over 300,000 people at the royal agricultural fair,” said Nickel Belt Liberal MP Marc Serré.

“We have some challenges for businesses. But it’s about how can we support the businesses to make sure we keep our youth here in northern Ontario.”

It’s a dream come true for Curylo, who would love nothing more than to see his drinks go international.

“It’s also the connections we can make in terms of our supply chain and our distribution,” he said.

“We’re hoping that a big distributor sees us and says ‘Hey you guys are great.’”

With nine employees, The Jester’s brews up five different beverages: a sap soda, honey soda, a yerba mate energy drink -- a twist on classic iced tea -- and its danger water.

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“We find that the new sort of wave of beverages (is) the sparkling water and we’re jumping on that wave,” Curylo said.

He’s hoping to ride that flavour wave to Toronto and really make a splash in the industry.