Say cheese
Ignition Fund winner set to launch cheese-making business
Mathieu Gallant is ready to launch his cheese-making business. The Mont Carmel resident and Innovation P.E.I. Ignition Fund 2014 recipient is the owner of the Island Artisan Cheesehouse. Commercial cheese making on P.E.I. dates back to the 19th Century and has been key to the development of the dairy industry. Island Artisan Cheesehouse will make fresh locally crafted and sourced curd cheese snacks for food service and retail outlets.
Their first product, “Squeakies” will be the only fresh, offthe-shelf snack cheese product offered in the province. It will be ready to hit the market at the end of July, and will be available in various restaurants and farmers’ markets across the Island.
Gallant was an inaugural recipient of the Ignition Start Up funding grant. The program was launched in June of 2014 to assist budding entrepreneurs on P.E.I. by providing them with a capital investment of $25,000 to help develop their small businesses. With this funding, Gallant was able to turn his idea into a reality by investing in market research and quality control measures. After growing up on a dairy farm in St. Timothy, five kilometres from his cheese- processing site, Gallant decided he would pursue his cheese-making passion. Drawing from inspirations of his Acadian heritage, market research, and techniques he learned while travelling to France and Quebec, Gallant has committed himself to producing a world-class Island product and sharing it with the world. “The Ignition funding has been directly related to my success and has given me access to a better market advantage, helping me becoming a leader in Prince Edward Island artisan cheese manufacturing,” said the business owner.
Innovation P.E.I. is currently accepting applications for 2016 Ignition Fund recipients, with the deadline on July 29.
To apply, visit www.innovationpei.com/ignition.