Our Vision...

Organized as a circle of friends and neighbours, The Haliburton County Garlic Growers Association seeks to -

• encourage and support new growers

• host garlic fests, workshops and forums

• promote garlic awareness

• publish and circulate educational materials

• foster sales opportunities for local produce

A Little History...

In 2006 Sheila and Charlie Robb began hosting garlic workshops with personal and financial assistance from the Haliburton County Farmers Association.  Inspired by the Robb’s example, six or seven local growers convened informally in May 2008. Recognizing that the time was ripe to promote garlic locally, the group decided to host a Garlic fest that same summer. The effort involved in organizing and promoting that event led to our forming the Haliburton County Garlic Growers Association (HCGGA), an unincorporated, non-profit entity.

We hosted our first Garlic fest on August 23, 2008 on the property adjacent to Carnarvon Bowl. Approximately twelve vendors and exhibitors participated.  In addition we held workshop demonstrations throughout the day. The event was well advertised, and according to the local media about 500 people attended.

This premier Garlic Fest was successful beyond all expectations. The exhibitors clearly enjoyed themselves while realizing a fair return. We had the strong impression that our visitors and customers were similarly pleased. Thus encouraged, we secured a generous grant from the Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC), which enabled us to host an even more ambitious event at the same location the following year.