This summer Ontario Pork embarked on the Ontario Pork Tasting Tour, bringing the taste of locally raised pork directly to consumers across the province.
Now in its second year the tour featured 28 pork sampling events at participating Brand Partner grocery stores, giving shoppers the opportunity to taste Ontario-raised pork while learning more about the people behind the pork sector.
Ontario Pork worked alongside five Brand Partners throughout the tour including Foodland, Farm Boy, Denninger’s, Longo’s and Fortinos. Their support helped bring Ontario pork directly to shoppers and provided an opportunity for consumers to experience the flavour and quality of locally raised pork.
At each stop, Ontario Pork representatives prepared and served pork samples fresh from a barbecue located outside each storefront. Shoppers were invited to enjoy a sample and take home a recipe card featuring easy and delicious ways to prepare pork. These events created great opportunities for consumers to engage directly with representatives about the product they were tasting.
While sampling great-tasting pork was at the heart of the tour, this year also included collaboration with Conestoga Meats, ‘Meet A Farmer’ program. At select Foodland locations shoppers could meet with and speak to a pork producer. These interactions allowed consumers to ask questions about how pork in Ontario is raised and learn about advanced animal care practices. The conversations helped strengthen the connection between consumers and the people who raise their food.
One of the most encouraging results of the tour was seeing how often a sample translated into a customer purchasing pork. Throughout the tasting tour shoppers could be seen trying samples and then heading directly to the meat department to purchase the same pork products they had just tasted.
The response throughout the Ontario Pork Tasting Tour delivered a simple message: when consumers have the opportunity to try Ontario pork, its flavour and quality speaks for itself and can result in sales.
