Small scale and artisan food processors have seen their opportunity in Prince Edward County. Find your opportunity in our creative rural economy and make it work. Run your dream brewery, cidery or winery using local crops. Create value-added products from local ingredients, such as yogourt or maple syrup. Package produce for sale at a roadside stand or to customers off the island, as fresh goods or frozen. Use your enterprising spirit to join a creative, like-minded community of people with whom to work…and play.

Meet Brian McCormick of Grand Bay Foods

There is a business in Picton that hums with activity year round, employs dozens of skilled and semi-skilled people and exports 98% of its product around the world including a roaring trade with the U.S. The company is Grand Bay Foods, the product is fish and one-time commercial fisherman Brian McCormick is at the helm. Every day the Brian and his team rise to the challenges of supply and demand, international orders, deadlines and the complicated paperwork needed to win new customers in Europe.

Grand Bay processes freshwater fish - one and a half million pounds a year - and sends it to customers as near as the Merrill Inn and as far away as Sweden. Sunfish is very popular in Minnesota, and then there’s yellow perch, pickerel and more. The “round” product (that’s whole fish) comes from Lake Ontario as long as the season allows and other parts of Canada and the U.S. the rest of the year. “We’re busy all year,” says Brian. “And we’re expanding.”

Brian started the company in 1986, calling it Waterfresh. The name changed to Grand Bay Foods in the 1990s and business has steadily grown. Brian was working towards retail store management until a sudden change of heart in 1970. “I was six weeks away from getting my own store,” he says. “But I went out and bought a commercial fishing license instead.” He laughs and remembers “I went home and said to my wife ‘Guess what?’”

Brian and his wife Linda are firmly anchored here. “I’ve always been a County person, I just think it’s the best place to be, especially in this business,” he says. “Think about it, we’re central - five hours to Quebec, six hours to New York, close to border crossings, close to Toronto.”

Brian has been on the board of the Ontario Council of Commercial Fisheries for many years, first as fisherman now as plant owner. He’s a strong advocate for his beleagured industry and always ready to fight for fishing rights and to challenge what he sees as misguided legislation. He points out that some ministry restrictions are based on findings from index stations that have not changed position for 60 years. “Fish move,” he says wryly. He finds it frustrating to truck in pickerel from Kenora when he’s sitting on what he calls one of the best pickerel fishing grounds there is - Lake Ontario.

Brian is well informed and passionate about industry issues. But he loves the business. He’s proud of his company and his work force and he’s confident in the future. “Demand for fresh fish has never dropped,” he says. “And it’s growing even more now as people get more health conscious.”