OTTAWA -- A Spencerville cider producer can now sell directly to consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April, CTV News Ottawa brought you the story of Flying Canoe Hard Cider in Spencerville, which was handcuffed by an ancient rule called the “Five Acre Rule.”
It doesn’t allow the cider producer to have a retail store at its location because it didn’t have five acres of apple trees on the same property.
The rule also meant Flying Canoe could not take online orders for its cider or ship it within the province.
On Tuesday, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario temporarily suspended the rule, allowing the local business to sell directly to consumers.
“It was quite a journey to get to that point and we are very appreciative of all the work our MPP Steve Clark did to make this happen through the Ontario Government, and we are looking forward to getting this set up and start shipping products to meet all the orders that we’ve received,” said Peter Rainville, owner of Flying Canoe Hard Cider.
“Once I contacted our MPP and (Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal) Mayor Pat Sayeau, they acted extremely fast along with our MP Michael Barrett. They were very proactive. They all responded within minutes of my request and I was quite stunned and shocked at how fast that they made things happen,” Rainville said.
Before the rule was temporarily suspended, Rainville was getting orders from as far away as Thunder Bay, and many other people were emailing and texting to ask if they could pick up the cider in Spencerville.
He now has over 100 orders waiting to be shipped out across the province and work has already begun on a small retail store attached to the cidery.
“I’m very impressed with the system. The system does work. I thought this was going to be an insurmountable task,” Rainville said.
He thanked the community for the support and said he’s glad he moved his family to the area.
“I can tell you one thing that the decision that our family made to move here was a very good one because these are great people.”
On Wednesday, Rainville planted two McIntosh apple trees in his backyard to celebrate the decision.
