DELTA - The family behind Mensen Farm knows the meaning of hard work, dedication and giving back to their community. Susie and Garry Mensen started with a berry patch 25 years ago and have continued to expand their product line and reputation ever since.

You may have heard the saying that in order for a new leaf to grow, the dead one needs to be pushed off the branch. For Scott Sabramsky, this idea resonated and inspired a new Lennox and Addington County business that grows more every day. Deadleaf Distinguished Gentlemen is hidden away behind an unassuming black doorway on the main shopping street of Napanee, Ontario. While the facade is discrete and understated, the inside is truly something unique, harking back to the days of barber shops, hot shaves, whisky, and blues. Their space includes a retail area, barber shop, pool table, and a fully stocked whisky bar, or “waiting room” as they call it.

Lindsay’s TS Manufacturing began in 1973 when Ted Smith’s older brother Tom wanted to strike out on his own and use their combined talents and energy to build their own manufacturing plant to build equipment for the burgeoning forestry industry in Ontario. Today, the company boasts a 65,000-square-foot facility in Lindsay, and a workforce of approximately 75 to 80 highly-skilled employees, offering a startling array of equipment and machinery for every significant aspect of the lumber industry – exporting more than three quarters of their production to the United States and even further afield.

A local couple with a passion for winemaking is transforming a vineyard into a destination meeting place. Green Gables Vines owner Marie Chinnatamby and winemaker Richard Deslandes are pleased to be offering an exciting selection of white, rosé, off-dry, dry red and fruit-flavoured wines at the winery. "This is a lot of fun," says Richard, who has been crafting with care new blends from the five-acre vineyard. "People seem to want to taste local wines and buy local," he says. "We chose to offer an organic, high-quality product even when it means a lower production volume. There are no herbicides or pesticides used to produce our wines. We accept a few more weeds to get better, healthier wine," says Richard.

Giving someone you care about an item that is unique, thoughtful, and handmade is rewarding. Making it yourself is even better, but if your crafting and DIY skills need some work, there is no shame in letting someone else do the handy work for you. Enter Lennox and Addington's Stone City Woodworks. For owner and craftsman Rob Purvis, Stone City Woodworks began as a hobby, making and giving small handmade items to friends and family. He never imagined it would become something more. “The ability to give someone something that is better than they were expecting, and to see their reaction, is what made this so addicting,” said Rob, sitting in his new retail space.

Characteristics that make for a good and potentially successful small business owner include flexibility, a sense of timing, passion, and a willingness to put in the hours and sweat equity necessary to make an enterprise thrive. Dana Deathe (pronounced ‘deeth’) has always wanted to own a bookstore, and in particular the neat little bookstore nestled onto Market Street in the heart of Fenelon Falls. The City of Kawartha Lakes community has always been the home of Deathe’s family’s cottage, and thus a favourite spot to visit throughout her youth.

Riverview Heights -  You haven't experienced Dewar's Inn on the River until you've walked through the courtyard into the picturesque village of cottages connected by elaborate gardens, winding pathways and stunning waterfront decks. Owners Judy and Frank Li fell in love with the historic property on County Road 2 when they bought it three years ago. They say viewing the property from the road doesn't tell the whole story or reveal its interesting history. 

It’s never an easy task to be a trailblazer. Going against the grain, taking the road less travelled, marching to the beat of your own drum, whatever you call it, there is no question it can be a challenge. Being an industry disrupter takes expertise in your field, a strong message, and, perhaps most importantly, courage. Lennox and Addington’s FireRein checks all of these boxes, and then some. Their office is tucked away in an renovated 1800s schoolhouse in Napanee Ontario. It's a quiet street in a quiet town, but FireRein’s mission is anything but that.

A combination of many serendipitous opportunities and the wisdom, know-how and willingness to take full advantage of those opportunities could be said to be the ‘secret’ of success for Norene Hyatt-Gervais, owner and winemaker of Morrisburg’s popular Stone Crop Acres Winery, which is celebrating its first anniversary this July.

big river technologies inc. is a high-tech company that provides services and solutions for some of the most complicated financial services computing needs, partnering with top international banking firms to develop a reputation for excellence, for innovation and adaptability.   What makes the success of this very sophisticated and specialized firm is its home. It is not based in California’s famed Silicon Valley or Canada’s equivalent in British Columbia. Nor is it housed in a giant office tower in Toronto, Montreal, New York or London. Instead it is blissfully ensconced within the picturesque eastern Ontario community of Gananoque.