KK082901 Karen SASKATOONEXPRESS - August 29-September 4, 2016 - Page 1
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Volume 14, Issue 34, Week of August 29, 2016
Saskatoonʼs REAL Community Newspaper
Black Fox
Distillery receives international recognition Barbara Stefanyshyn-Coté and John Coté, who was unavailable for the photo, have turned a vision into a reality on their 80 acres on Valley Road. (Photo by Sandy Hutchinson)
Joanne Paulson Saskatoon Express erched on a rise overlooking Valley Road, the view from Black Fox Farm and Distillery must be among the most pastorally beautiful in the local area. On 80 acres, fruits and grains grow in profusion. Flowers are everywhere — dozens of varieties of them — that find their way into wedding bouquets and local florists’ shops. Inside, a gleaming distillery turns the JW082905 James crops into spirits, including vodka, gin and
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liqueur. Parties are hosted, and tourists stop by to take a tour and taste the spirituous bounty. This is not your usual dryland crop farm, nor market garden. It’s the vision of John Coté and Barbara Stefanyshyn-Coté, who have combined tourism with an unusual mix of crops and proprietary hard drink in an agricultural setting. They started the planting and building six years ago, but the distillery just began producing a year ago in June. So it is somewhat remarkable that Black Fox
was awarded three medals last week at the International Wine and Spirits Awards in London, England. Black Fox was awarded a silver medal in the liqueur category for its honey ginger liqueur, another silver in the gin and tonic category, and a bronze for contemporary style gin. The Cotés were not interested in entering just any competition. In a sense, medals are a dime a dozen; anyone can start up or compete in an awards program. The IWSA, however, has some heft and credibility.
“We entered this award program because people said it was one of the legitimate ones. I’ve never been a believer of doing something and putting a label on it for marketing purposes,” said John Coté in an interview. “We were looking for actual feedback.” Unsurprisingly, he and his wife are “extremely excited. You go into some of these things and you’re hoping everything works out well. “I think we should be fairly happy with the way things are going.” (Continued on page 9)
Experience Saskatchewan’s Premier Destination! Take a class, taste some Saskatchewan made cider, plan an event with friends … Its all waiting for you at The Glen! Check out our event calendar for classes, workshops and programs for all ages at www.theglenatcrossmount.ca
Located 5 km south of Saskatoon on Lorne Avenue | 306-374-9896 | events@crossmount.ca