OTTAWA -- The Ontario government is giving $455,000 to a distillery in Almonte, Ont. to allow it to increase its capacity to produce hand sanitizer.
Economic development minister Vic Fideli made the announcement Tuesday.
"Our government will continue to work with our world-class businesses. By working together, we will maintain our place as the economic engine and workshop of Canada, and ensure we emerge stronger than ever before," Fedeli said in a press release.
Dairy Distillery produces vodka and cream liquors using dairy products. It began making hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Almonte-based distillery says it has donated more than 30,000 bottles through its "buy one to give one" program to groups like the Ottawa Mission, the Shepherds of Good Hope, the Lanark County Paramedic Service, and the Almonte Country Haven long-term care home, among others.
In the release, the CEO of Dairy Distillery, Omid McDonald, said the funding would allow them to produce hundreds of thousands of additional bottles of hand sanitizer.
"We're honoured that the Ontario government has chosen to fund our hand sanitizer scale-up project," McDonald is quoted as saying. "This funding will allow us to make 220,000 litres a year of sustainable alcohol for hand sanitizer. It will save two million litres of sugar from being wasted each year, helping the environment and Ontario dairy farmers. We're aiming to have the additional capacity online by year-end."
