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Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Harmony in Harvest: Exploring Wainfleet's Diverse Agricultural and Culinary Tapestry

The region of Niagara is the perfect mixture of cityscapes and agricultural countryside. Wainfleet, which is nestled into the outskirts of the region, showcases just how charming life away from the ‘big city’ can be.

Filled with agricultural and culinary tapestries, it’s a local spot that has so many hidden gems. Here are six businesses that truly showcase how Wainfleet found harmony in harvest.

Kehoe & Kin: Century-old Barn Filled with Love

Filled with rustic charm, Kehoe & Kin is a family-owned event farm that specializes in barn weddings.

Katie Hinks and her mother Joanne Martin opened the space during the pandemic, but that wasn’t the beginning of the barn’s story. Hinks’ grandfather bought the property back in 1974 after falling in love with the structure. Hinks and Martin worked hard at keeping his legacy alive by restoring it.

Now, the renovated space, which is filled with both rustic character and modern touches, is constantly filled with couples celebrating their love for eachother.

The key to the business’s ongoing success is passion. “No one loves our barn and property more than my mom,” Hinks states.

“She’s passionate about preserving its authenticity and beauty, infusing it with quirky and delightful elements that never fail to surprise and delight our couples and their guests.”

“And together with my passion for crafting an exceptional client experience and a distinctive brand aesthetic, we’ve got a space and service that’s truly unique and inspiring.”

We’re not just a great wedding venue; we’re partners in making memories.

— Katie Hinks

Joanne Martin and Katie Hinx. Photo by Ally Allison.

Joanne Martin and Katie Hinx. Photo by Ally Allison.

Wainfleet Motel & Restaurant: Loyal Customers & Delicious Dishes

When it comes to culinary delights, Chef Eddy Arul knows what he’s doing. With over 40 years of restaurant experience, he opened Wainfleet Motel & Restaurant in 2005.

The space is comprised of a motel, a wedding venue and a restaurant and sees several international and local guests.

With always-changing daily specials, Arul says he has customers coming from across the region to sample the casual dining menu. In fact, some guests have been extremely loyal, constantly returning for 18 years.

Having a community that supports the restaurant, word of mouth is the most common way new customers find the hidden spot.

“Word of mouth, that is the main thing for me. People come in and always tell other people. I have clients from all over the neighbourhoods up to Hamilton and St. Catharines,” says Arul.

Loyal customes have been coming to the Wainfleet Motel & Restaurant for 18 years.

Owner and chef Eddy Arul has over 40 years of restaurant experience.

Word of mouth allows new customers to discover this hidden gem in Wainfleet.

Marshville Chocolates: Handmade For Decades

Heather Etling didn’t always know she wanted to be in the chocolate business. With a policing background, she eventually took over the shop in 2018 when the original line of owners were looking to retire.

Marshville Chocolates originally opened in the 1970s as a home-based hobby, before turning into the shop that is now known for its handmade sweets.

“It’s handmade, we make it piece by piece. You’re getting a fresh consistency, it’s not mass produced. So there is a special taste to it, and I think that’s why it tastes delicious,” Etling states.

While keeping many beloved recipes and customer favourites, Etling has continued to serve delicious chocolates to a group of loyal customers.

“The majority of our businesses is repeat customers. I think they just love coming in here.”

On top of that, Etling also conducted a recent expansion and opened a second location in Port Colbourne.

Marshville Chocolates owner Heather Etling

Chocolates for every occasion, hobby, and pet breed fancier!

This is a sign that you’re in for a treat when you travel to Wainfleet.

Special holiday treats are a popular purchase in December.

Feeder Flower Farm: A Couple’s Journey

What started as a hobby and a dream for Heather and Jay Kent, quickly became a successful reality with Feeder Flower Farm.

The couple didn’t come from a growing background but have since excelled at growing buds for their local community.

“I went to school for graphic design and marketing and advertising. Jay went to school as a carpenter. So we have different backgrounds,” says Heather Kent.

“We’ve always grown stuff, even when we lived downtown, our little 10 by 10 patio was just jammed with things. So we just kind of started to do what we like to do, and it took off.”

The 15-acre farm is now known for growing sustainable farmed seasonal annuals, perennials, foliage and willows.

One thing that sets them apart from other growers is their stunning dahlia field, which serves up colourful hues in the late summer and fall.

The Kents work hard at supplying flowers for weddings and events, with every bouquet and arrangement having its own personal touch.

Look for a local farm … They’re everywhere in Niagara. They work really hard and they grow beautiful stuff.

— Heather Kent

Feeder Flower Farm owners Heather and Jay Kent.

Feeder Flower Farm grows their own dahlias, which provide colourful hues in the late summer and fall.

Feeder Flower Farm grows their own dahlias, which provide colourful hues in the late summer and fall.

The 15-acre farm is now known for growing sustainable farmed seasonal annuals, perennials, foliage and willows.

Every wedding bouquet and arrangement has its own personal touch.

Pols Enterprises Ltd: Animal Comfort is a Priority

For decades, Ron Pols and the team at Pols Enterprises Ltd. have been a leading provider of ventilation and equipment solutions for poultry and livestock barns across the province.

Pols doesn’t follow what other suppliers do. He works hard to bring new equipment to his company, travels trade shows to learn more, and even helps educate his customers.

However, it’s more than just selling equipment for Pols, it’s also about animal welfare and ensuring every barn they work with has the equipment needed to maintain this.

“Our main goal is animal comfort,” says Pols. “And no matter if it’s a pig, a chicken or a cow if you can make that animal comfortable, you actually have better production, better health, better everything.”

You become personal, so customers actually know who you are, especially the regular customers. You become friends.

— Ron Pols

For decades, Pols Enterprises has been a leading provider of ventilation and equipment solutions for farmers across the province.

Pols Enterprises Ltd. owner Ron Pols.

It’s about more than just selling equipment for Pols.

Conclusion:

Wainfleet is filled with companies big and small that are working hard to bring more to the agricultural and culinary scene.

Whether they are growing flowers, making chocolate, or fixing local barns with the best ventilation equipment, all of these spots are working together in harmony.

If it wasn’t for Kehoe & Kin, Wainfleet Motel & Restaurant, Marshville Chocolates, Feeder Flower Farm, Pols Enterprises Ltd, and Rhora’s Nut Farm and Nursery, this small community wouldn’t be what it is today.

Did You Know?

Charles Rhora, owner, Rhora’s Nut Farm

Charles Rhora, who is a Wainfleet native, opened Rhora’s Nut Farm and Nursery back in 1967. He has been experimenting with growing seedlings for decades and has been able to show how beneficial they are up North.Now, the company grows a variety of unique nuts, such as Heart Nuts, Carpathian Walnuts, Chinese Chestnuts, American Chestnuts, Pecans and edible Pines. Rhora’s also carries a variety of rare and unusual trees and shrubs.

Buckthorn is a hardy shrub often used to make juices and tea.

Buckthorn is a hardy shrub often used to make juices and tea.

Rhora's Nut FarmNiagara's Finest Grower of Nut Trees Facebook Twitter Home Terms & Conditions About Us What's New Specials Edible Nut Trees Our Products General Information Contact Us Minor Fruits Minor Fruit Inoculant - $18.50 per bag. Each bag contains enough inoculant to do 25 trees EXCEPTING ORDERS FOR SPRING 2024 Beach Plum - (Prunus martima) Zone 4-8 - See Zone Map A large bush or sometimes tree producing small white flowers before leaves, then an abundance of fruit about the size of a dime. Can be eaten raw, or made into jams or jellies. Very hardy and will tolerate salt water spray. 2 Year old spring 2025 3 Year old sold out ** 5 Year old sold out Persimmon - (Diospyros virginiana) Zone 4-8 - See Zone Map Native to North America. Trees selected from the best known cultivars, and other named varieties. Prolific producer of very sweet tasting fruits. Valuable timber tree. Belongs to the ebony family. As the seedlings are both female and male and cannot be determined until they are mature and start bearing. Varieties offered are Early Golden, John Rick, Szuki, Peiper, Killen, Blue, Meader, William, Garretson. Also my selection from many years of trials car3,car8.car14,car16,car19,car24,car26,car28,car31 8 - 16" 22.00 ea 17 - 30" 28.00 ea 31- 39" 35.00 ea 38 - 42" 42.00 ea Pawpaw - (Asimina triloba) Zone 4-8 - See Zone Map Widely adapted and tolerant of damp soils, but must have adequate drainage. Native Pawpaw have been overlooked as a landscape tree, but is now attracting substantial attention. The fruit are nutritious and resemble the banana (often referred to as yellow banana). Fruits are high in potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, plus other minerals. Contains compounds which have shown to inhibit mammalian solid tumor cells. Extracts from the bark have shown excellent pesticidal and antifungel activity. The nodding flowers are unlike those of any other American tree - curious in there-lobed shape, and maroon in colour. The bold leaves turn a pleasing golden yellow in the autumn. Tree resemble a tropical like appearance. After thirty years of trials, we have the secret of easily transplanting the paw paw. Use 30% teralite and our inoculant mixed with the soil in the hole. Keep the trees watered and mulched. They will grow. Ours are. All trees are carefully dug to preserve the hair like feeder roots which are attached to the 10 - 16" tap root. We offer Fairchilds-Zimmerman, Davis, Mitchell, Sunflower, Taylor, Greenriver, O Taytoo, Wells, PA Golden, and other varieties of superior hybrid quality. #5 8-9-10-13-14-16-18-20-23-25-26-27 & 30. 6 - 9" $27.00 ea 10-14" $33.00 ea 21-30" $38.00 ea Remember: Always use inoculant at planting time. Cornelian Cherry (Cornus Mas) Zone 4-8 - See Zone Map A member of the dogwood family. Large bush or small tree with edible fruit. Early flowering and very productive. 12 - 18" 22.00 ea 18 - 24" 30.00 ea 24 - 36" 42,00 ea Chinese Dogwood - (Cornus kousa var. Chinensis) Zone 4-8 - See Zone Map Spectacular when laden with masses of large-bracted flowers. Vase-shaped in outline at maturity, it differs significantly from C. Florida by blooming a full month later, has an edible attractive raspberry-like fruit. Autumn colour in a showy burgundy and fruits ripen at different stages in colour of green, yellow, orange and red. Trees selected from varieties with largest fruits. 12 - 18" $29.00 ea 18 - 23" $32.00 ea 2 - 3' $42.00 ea Hybrid Chinese Dogwood var. Milky Way(Cornus kousa ‘Chinensis’) Zone 4-8 - See Zone Map Tree grows to 20 to 30 feet. Heavy flowering form of Chinese Dogwood. May be some variation from type. 12 - 18" $32.50 ea Sambucus Canadensis (Elderberry) Zone 3-8 - See Zone Map Grows in a bush like form. They are selected varieties with large edible fruit. Adaptable to large range of soil conditions. Fruit used for jams, jellies, and pies. 18 - 24" $22.00 ea Sea Buckthorn--Hippophae rhamnoides Zone 3-8 - See Zone Map It is a very hardy decidious shrub or small tree. The juice from the berries is widely used as a common drink as it is very high in protein, vitamins C and E and organic acids. The leaves, either fresh or dried, can be stepped to yield a nutritional tea. Is used in a wide range of medicinal purposes as well. The roots of the tree produce a nitrogen fixing agent, thus enabling the plants to grow in a wide variety types of soils, ranging from sand loam to clay types. They are not self pollinating, so you will need at least 2 or more for production of fruit. 12 - 18" spring 2025 19 - 24" sold out 25 - 29" sold out Mulberry (Morus alba) Zone 3-8 - See Zone Map If you are looking for a fine winter hardy type of mulberry with the advantage of delicious fruits; this is it. A round topped, densely branched tree which can reach 30 to 50 feet in height. It is fast growing, of Bark is a light orange-brown, foliage varies from yellow-green to dark green in summer, yellow in fall. The early spring flowers are showy; small greenish catkins 1/2 inches long on the females, the males slightly longer. The mulberries are pinkish white to violet drupes, quite sweet,, early summer fruit. Withstands drought, salt, Grows in most soils from sandy loam to clay types of soils. 12 - 18" spring 2025 Apple( Malus 'Antanovka) Zone 3-9 - See Zone Map An apple tree with large fruit that is cold hardy and good producer of a late fall to early Novermber ripening date. Very low in acid and keeps well into the winter in a cool storage area. Excellent unusual flavour making it a highly sought after Fruit. colour ranges from green to striped red mixed with green. 9 - 12" 2026 13 - 16" sold out 17 - 21" sold out 22 - 30" sold out Ready to place an order? Click Here for the Order Form Terms and Conditionsdesigned and developed by danima creative group©, copyright 2023

Charles has carefully cultivated his persimmons.

Rhora's offers many kinds of edible pines.

Rhora’s offers many kinds of edible pines.


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