#shedgoeswhereprovisionsgoes

Wellington Court Christmas Market 2015 - Our Annual Selfie 

If you have ever taken the time to read the list of lengthy hashtags beneath some of my Instagram posts, you may have stumbled upon one that reads: #shedgoeswhereprovisionsgoes.  That hashtag has been the truth since Lori and I first met in 2013 at the Spring Handmade Market.  I was a newbie on the market scene, I was still working my full-time job at the Good Earth Food & Wine Co., in Beamsville.  Lori and I were placed next to each other at the market, and what I remember most, is Lori's giant display table!  She used every square inch of her allotted space and that meant squeezing past my chair and rubbing against the back of my head and shoulders every time she needed out of her space.   
It may sound like I am complaining, but I'm not!  How could I!? Lori smoothed everything over by handing me some of her savoury shortbreads and chewy salted caramels. Mmmmm! Oh my, she hooked me instantly!  I am not ashamed to say I ate the entire bag of caramels one after the other....I couldn't stop until they were gone, and then I was only left wanting more.  
Lori and I chatted throughout the day, I learned that she had also worked at the Good Earth Food & Wine Co.  She left the Good Earth and co-authored the Harrow Fair Cookbook with her sister Moira. In 2012, Lori went on to start her own business Provisions Food Company Niagara.
Since our first meeting in the Spring of 2013, we developed a supportive friendship and business relationship. We were both starting new businesses, and our products fit well together, so it made sense to marry our products and do what we could to help one another. Lori sells a selection of my wares on her website, and I sell a selection of her foodstuffs in my retail gallery.  We encourage each other to participate in events and workshops and sometimes loosely base our decisions on, "well, if you go...I will go."  Hence, #shedgoeswhereprovisionsgoes or, #provisionsgoeswhereshedgoes.  
Lori is a bubbly, gregarious woman.  To meet Lori is to meet Provisions; you will fall in love with her and her food creations immediately.  You will have the opportunity to meet Lori at the December shed & Friends Open House, and once you become hooked like me, you can visit shed year round to stay stocked on Lori's goods. 

A short bio on Lori:
​
Lori McDonald. Founder.

Lori started Provisions Food Company in 2012 after noticing a need for finely made and beautifully packaged local foodstuffs in many of the local wineries.    Since then the business has grown and her products are sold coast to coast at select fine food stores as well as Loblaw’s and Indigo.  Provisions products have been showcased in Food & Drink Magazine, in Chatelaine magazine (online edition), and Rev Publisher’s Taste and Business magazines. Prior to starting Provisions, Lori spent her career in a variety of aspects of the food and wine industry, earning a BSc in Biology from Brock University along the way.  In 2012, Lori wrote The Harrow Fair Cookbook with her sister, Moira Sanders which won a Canadian cookbook award and has gone on to become a Canadian bestseller.
In 2013, Lori was the recipient of the 1st annual Shannon Passero Women in Business grant.  This grant ($12,500) enabled her to hire pivotal employees, invest in crucial equipment, and polish the packaging and branding of Provisions products.
Provisions focuses on products that are wine friendly, all natural, made from locally sourced produce, and relies on flavours that are classic as well as delicious.
 

For more information visit Provisions' website and follow @pfcniagara on social media for yummy updates. 

www.provisionsfoodcompany.com