KC Jordan, LJI Reporter

The Pontiac region now has its own agritourism route – a network of agricultural producers and restaurants spanning from Bristol to Sheenboro which is intended to put the Pontiac on the map as a food destination.
The new tourism effort, called the Land & Flavours Route, was announced by the MRC Pontiac on June 26. A map and details of the route’s 22 stops can be found on the MRC’s Destination Pontiac website.
The route is the latest in a series of similar routes developed by the MRC to market various aspects of the region to potential visitors.
Already featured on the MRC’s tourism website are a poutine route, a wine route, and a “vanlife” route.
In addition to being advertised on the website, the MRC has advertised the new route through radio ads, at local markets, and at various events across the Ottawa Valley and in Montreal.
Stéphanie Hébert-Potter, economic development agent with the MRC, said the goal of the route is to showcase the variety of agricultural products the region has to offer.
“We’re hoping that visitors will have an opportunity to explore all the local flavours that we have, whether it’s freshly harvested fruits and vegetables to [ . . . ] local beer, nice wineries.”
She said the route is also meant to help locals discover the hidden gems in their backyard that they don’t necessarily know about.
“We have a vast territory, so it’s not always easy for everyone to know from one end to the other what’s available.”
She added that the Pontiac is a strongly-rooted agricultural community.
“They’re the backbone of our area,” she said of the region’s producers.
“It’s important to highlight the work that they do, but also the passion they have in harvesting and creating their products.”
Greg Graham, one of the owners of Coronation Hall Cider Mills in Bristol, said he hopes the new route will bring in customers who are discovering the region for the first time.
“It’s very difficult and expensive to get signage in Quebec,” he said. “It’s important that people discover how to see us and all the things that aren’t on the highway.”
Graham is happy to have the exposure that comes with the new route, and hopes that it will help visitors plan extended trips to the region.
A good portion of his customers come from across the river in Ontario or from the capital region, and Graham said people are more likely to make the trip if they can plan to visit other local producers.
“If people have two or three destinations in mind, they’re far more likely to drive up here to see us,” he said.
David Gillespie, a farmer on Allumette Island and an agritourism expert, said this route is a marked increase over previous efforts at an agritourism route in the region.
“There used to be only 10 producers,” he said, noting the doubling of this number represents progress for the region’s agritourism industry.
“Ten years ago this wouldn’t have happened. There were more traditional farms back then,” he said, noting that a younger crop of farmers in the area has pushed for agritourism in the region.
He said there are still many producers in the Pontiac who are not part of the route but could stand to gain from it.
Producers who are featured on routes like these need to meet certain standards.
In an email to THE EQUITY, Hébert-Potter said “to support and encourage smaller producers, we’ve set more flexible requirements compared to other routes.”
“Producers should have consistent operating hours, provide parking spaces, and have either a storefront or farm-based activities.”
In addition to tourists, Hébert-Potter said the MRC hopes there will be more buy-in from people who want to spend time and money in the Pontiac, and hopefully develop here as well.