18/10/2026
We passed our York Region public health inspection! 🎉 Another small win on the way to building Ontario’s largest dried fruit company. 🍎
From day one, we wanted The Dried Orchard Co. to be more than a hobby. We make dried oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit and apples right here in Newmarket Ontario, for your tea, cocktails, snack drawer and holiday gift list. Growing that into Ontario’s biggest dried fruit company means a LOT of little dominoes have to fall first. 😂
Here’s what you don’t always see in a small business journey: turning a hobby into a food business means learning a whole new side of the game.
It’s not just finding the perfect apple, getting the drying just right or making pretty packaging. (We love those parts, obviously. 🍏)
It’s also business banking, food safety, public health inspections, production processes and all the behind-the-scenes details that make a food business legitimate and built to last.
Requirements vary by business, and getting them right matters, especially when your food ends up in people’s teacups and cocktail glasses.
✨ Our latest win: our kitchen unit passed its routine public health inspection.
Is it as exciting as launching a new product or landing a big wholesale order? No.
Is it another important step toward the business we dream about? Absolutely.
One thing I’ve learned building this business: you HAVE to celebrate the little wins.
The first sale. The new customer. The packaging that finally works. The admin task you’ve put off for three weeks. 😅 And yes, the inspections you pass!
Building a business is a long game. Only celebrate the big milestones and you miss so many moments worth being grateful for.
So today, we’re celebrating this one. 🥳
Fellow Ontario small business owners and food entrepreneurs: what little win are you celebrating this week? Drop it in the comments 👇
Shopping local for Christmas? Our Ontario-made dried citrus and tea gift boxes are at the link in bio. 🍊
