Hey, Tracy here from GL Heritage Brewing Company.
Still we are doing the Amherstburg Farmers Market and I think this is probably episode six or
seven here.
So it's not that I just don't change my clothes.
I actually have just filmed a lot today and I finally was able to pin down the co-owner
of GL Heritage Brewing Company, Jen Desjardins-Grandon.
And yes, I had to look down because she has a hyphenated name and I'd screw it up.
Thank you for coming today.
Oh, I am having a blast and it's been packed today and I want to remind everybody that
Howard Avenue is open again so it is easy to get to the brewing company for the farmers'
markets that are here every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
So if you're a vendor, get in contact with her and if you are a purchaser, get your
butt out here because it is the vibe.
I love it here.
Thank you, thank you.
Really appreciate you being here.
Thanks for highlighting all of these amazing local vendors.
We've got a great combination of returning vendors and some new vendors that have never
been out here before.
And they're loving it from what they told me.
It's great.
You know, we've got a volunteer committee behind the market and we all work really hard
to create the vibe.
But just like casual comfort.
Everybody becomes friends after they've been here one time.
Live music, fresh breakfast, coffee and great local shopping.
It's honestly an honor to host it here at the brewery.
Oh, it's gnats, wraps and aps.
The deep-fried French toast sticks I had this morning, they were so good.
And then the big wrap egg rolls which taste like a Big Mac in an egg roll.
It was so good.
They are here intermittently at the brewery for the weekends.
We love working with them and other local Amersburg business.
And they are so great to work with.
They're also very community-minded, community-focused.
They support a lot of fundraisers and special events like these.
And it's great because, I mean, this place, even if it's not the market, we were here
last night, Friday night, and it was packed.
They had live band and we brought the dog out.
It was very, very puppy-friendly.
And it was so much fun.
We would have stayed out here all night if we didn't have to get ready for the market
today.
Well, thanks for coming out last night.
So it was a kickoff of our celebration weekend because it's our seventh anniversary for the
brewery.
Seven years that flew by, half of that was a certain period of time that a lot of businesses
struggled through.
So we're kind of like recovering like a lot of businesses are.
So our seventh anniversary is really special to us.
And yeah, we've got live music, local performers every day of the weekend.
And we had a great turnout yesterday.
I think the combination of the weather, the music, the food, the cold drinks on tap, you
know, it was good.
Yes.
And again, they do have seltzers.
We're working on getting them bottled, but right now you can only get them here and they
are beyond amazing.
Yeah.
So we've got a lineup.
The craft beer is great.
It's award winning.
My husband is the creator, the brewmaster of all of the recipes and they're really, really
tasty.
You know, I know I'm biased, but they're good.
So we've got a diverse selection of craft beer, but we also launched the hard seltzer.
It's called Lazy Day Seltzer.
So it's gluten free, but it's a hard seltzer.
So those that don't drink gluten or eat gluten or whatever, they appreciate the seltzer.
We also have a hop water, which is non-alcoholic and gluten free.
So just something special for everybody.
And the seltzers go down really good.
Really, really good.
I like them too.
Yes.
Now, how long have you been doing the Amersburg Farmers Market?
So the farmers market came here.
This is the fifth season.
So in 2020 was our first season.
So we opened right after they announced the pandemic.
So that was really interesting.
But we had a great turnout because at the time there was very few markets that were
happening in the region.
So we quickly grew.
And again, we just continue doing it because we see the positive benefits to the community,
to these small businesses whom we love to collaborate with.
We just really, really enjoy it.
And I love creating between the brewery and the farmers market, this community hub for
everyone to enjoy.
Family friendly, pet friendly.
It's really casual laid back.
Yeah, and this weekend, because it was special for the seventh anniversary, we did have the
friends at Fort Malden here and they were shooting off the muskets.
And then as I was trying to do a podcast a few times, you see horses walking by because
Sarah Parks is out here too.
So you're really involved in the community of Amersburg.
Do you sit on boards or?
I'm on the, I'm the vice president of the Amersburg Community Foundation.
So we've got a volunteer board of some really amazing people that have diverse skill sets
and experience that bring all that to the table.
And our mission is to support initiatives financially, solicit donations for initiatives
that are healthy and communal and inspiring and inclusive for the entire town of Amersburg.
So we're really, really proud of the initiatives that we're working on right now.
And we'll just keep doing it as long as we can see the town thrive and the residents
enjoying it.
That's what we do.
And it really has because I mean, I remember before the pandemic, you would come out here
and there, but when they started shutting down down Howe C Street in order to be able
to feed people, like so they could go to the restaurants and that, and now they've kept
it open or closed on the weekends during the summer for the open air.
It's amazing.
And it's a go to place, Amersburg.
So this place is just right on the way.
If you come out Howard, you hit the market, continue on into Main Street, Dalhousie and
hit the open air, you can make a whole day of it.
Absolutely.
There's amazing things that are happening in the town of Amersburg, which we're all
very, very proud of.
And there's like pockets of, you know, activities and festivals and fairs and things like that
happening.
And our strip here on Howard, we call it the Howard Hop Along.
And the Howard Hop Along includes businesses like Wolfhead Distillery and Dancing Swallows
Winery, which is right next door to us.
We've got Sprucewood Winery as well.
Just a couple of concessions over Sarah Perks Horsemanship.
So we've got lots of great businesses that are kind of on this Howard Avenue corridor
that are really supplementing many of the things that are happening downtown.
Yeah, it is really enjoyable.
And again, I can't reiterate this enough.
We say farmer's market.
It doesn't just mean fruits and vegetables.
They have a lot of vendors, a lot of really creative people here.
We do have Sammy's Q Barbecue and we have sauces.
We have little crochet.
This was from Simple Stitches.
She is 15 years old.
This is one of her first markets and she was really nervous.
She's got great product.
And this is an example of the artisans who come here.
We've got upcycled, recycled clothing, beautiful designs.
I'm hitting there for a shirt after.
It's really, really cool, unique pieces that are from reused materials, very eco-friendly.
So between the artists selling art pieces, the creators, the bakers, we're really proud
to have such a diverse selection, including some of the fresh produce that comes here
week over week.
Yes, we do have Burr Oak Farm here.
So we do have it, but it's not always going to be that.
It's just a huge collection of our community.
And our community is very tight knit and we all support each other.
So it's really nice to see all the vendors hugging each other.
They haven't seen each other in a bit or it's been a few markets since they got here.
We have new ones like King Street Cafe from Harrow.
They just opened their businesses here and this is their very first market.
Yeah, very excited.
Again, right here, Healthy Creations, that's their very first market too for gluten-free
products.
It's wonderful, amazing product, high quality product.
You'll see when you come and you shop the pieces that are here, you'll see the passion
that goes into, the love and passion that goes into everything that's created here for
us, for us to enjoy.
And we also, as part of the market, every week we offer free spots for non-profits and
charities.
So if there's anyone out there that is a service provider or a charity organization that benefits
the community, you're always welcome here.
I will always make space for anyone that wants to do that.
You guys are doing a fundraiser soon.
We are.
In fact, one of the non-profits and charities that's here today is Briarswood Youth Camp.
It's an Optimist Youth Club camp that's just a few concessions the other way.
And they're here at the market quite a bit.
They are raising money for some facility renovations to make it more accessible to all of the participants
there.
So we've got a fundraiser dinner that's happening here at the brewery on the 31st of July.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
We've got live music from Don MacArthur, Nancy Roy, part of the River Rock Ramblers crew.
We've got Nats, Raps and Naps is coming back for that fundraiser as well.
And it's going to be a really nice night that is an important cause because their programs
really support the development and interaction between the youth in our community.
Yeah, because that used to be the old Go Guide camp.
When I did Tracy's Garden during the pandemic, I actually had a booth there during their,
I think it was Earth Day event.
And yeah, it really honestly, it needs help.
It really needs help, especially being nonprofit.
The community does need to get involved because it's a beautiful space.
Their property is gorgeous.
Their facilities are great.
But of course, they need to be kept up like any facility.
Years ago, as part of the Community Foundation, we did a survey of the community trying to
understand where their priorities were, you know, so we could focus our initiatives and
our support in those areas.
One of the top categories that the community wanted to focus on is on services and activities
for youth.
The Briarswood Youth Camp is one of the great offerings in our area.
We just need to educate people that it's there, what they offer and help support it financially.
Yeah, because I think it's just so far out there, people think of it as the old Girl
Guide Camp and they forget that it has been revitalized.
And it's still, you know, it's still a work in progress, but they still are able to offer
a lot of good programs for children.
Yeah, absolutely.
And it's all like outdoor activities, put the devices down, interact, learn, educate,
you know, natural ecosystems and pollinators and things like that.
But you can also rent their facilities for camping.
So if you have, you know, a group outing or a family outing, contact them and talk to
them about the space that they offer outside of the program that they have for youth.
Oh, that's great.
That is great.
I love how you are community oriented.
We all have to try.
I love that.
And it really, it has a community feel here.
And that's what me and my husband were saying last night when we were here and it's like,
it's just, it's very relaxing and it almost feels like home.
Like it's a place you just want to hang out at and we wish we could have stayed longer.
But the five month old puppy was, she had had enough after an hour and a half, she was
starting to get like a toddler.
I'm done.
Oh, she was so cute.
She was so cute.
She's a beautiful little puppy.
She loves the music.
Yeah.
We're known for playing music on vinyl.
So we've got a big vinyl collection, a really interesting collection in-house.
But we do like every other week, we try and bring in a local performer because we love
to celebrate that talent that we have close by.
And of course the community loves to hang out on a sunny patio with a cold beer and
listen to live music because we've got extraordinary talent.
Like Sharon Pockett-Lowes that's performing for us right now at the market.
She's one of the many that can truly, you know, bring everybody together.
But honestly, even before she was able to get here, the music, it was like, okay, just
turn it up because it was a great selection of just chill music.
Thank you.
Yeah, we try.
When we opened this brewery seven years ago, my husband, myself, his brother Greg and sister-in-law
Cathy, we wanted to create that environment like you were coming to our kitchen.
You were coming to our back deck, hanging out in our backyard.
So hopefully we've created that vibe where everybody's just comfortable and just wants
to hang out and meet people at the next table.
That's the thing that brings me a lot of joy is people getting to know each other at the
next table and then converging together and they leave friends.
So that's beautiful.
Yeah, it is great.
And if you are in Amherstburg, Ontario, or if you're in Windsor, just take the drive.
It's not that long out to GL Heritage Brewing Company and just enjoy the space.
It's beautiful space.
They have, I mean, there's soybean fields behind us, but we have this beautiful brewery.
They have cornhole.
They have, it's just amazing.
Thank you so much, Jen.
Thank you very much for supporting us.
You and Jake from Made in YQG have been extraordinary in terms of helping us get the word out on
what's happening here with the market and our celebration.
Thank you for that very much.
Oh, no problem.
And if you want to be a vendor at these markets, they're held until...
So the last market is October 12th.
So they're every Saturday, rain or shine, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Again, there's always live music, breakfast and coffee, great shopping.
It changes every week, like we mentioned earlier.
You can learn more at amherstburgfarmersmarket.ca or you can send an email or contact us through
the brewery as well.
And again, my name is Tracy Martens and thank you so much for joining me for another episode
of YQG in Bloom.
You guys have a great day.
Have a great week.