A Behind-The-Scenes Look Into Our Spelt Farmer Trip To Ontario
For us at One Degree Organics, being able to tell and share the stories of the farmers we meet is what our brand is all about; however, like with any big project, there is a ton of behind-the-scenes activity that takes place, and we are excited to share a peek into what our trip to Ontario was all about.
From the time our family landed at Toronto International, they hit the ground running, and this time it was an entire family affair as Stan, Kathy, and Alonna all traveled together to visit our incredible spelt farm partner Osprey Organics.
Flying into Toronto
Osprey Organics Farm, two hours from Toronto, is a family-owned, 3,500-acre certified organic farm. Jamie and Sandy Gott are the founders of Osprey Organics; they run Ice River Springs alongside their daughter, Crystal Gott.
Smith & Gott family (2025)
We were amazed by the operations at the Ice River Sustainable Solutions facility. Ice River is the umbrella company to several of the Gott family’s ventures. From their recycling plant to their automated water bottling facility, plastic manufacturing, farms, greenhouse, restaurant, store, and incredible organic farms, there was so much to see and learn.
Timeline of Ice River Springs which was founded in 1995
In 2010, they founded Osprey Organics and opened Blue Mountain Plastics Recycling (BMP). Osprey Organics strives to reduce their carbon footprint and cultivate grains that are grown in healthy soil, in the most sustainable way possible. They care for the soil by adding naturally occurring fertilizers such as green manure or foliage plow-downs to build the soil health of their fields.
Their recycling facility produces food-grade resin used to create the bottles for their spring water company, called Ice River Green Bottle Co. They are the first beverage company in North America to collect blue box materials to produce their 100% recycled plastic bottles using no new plastic.
Crystal taking the Smith family through the recycling plant
Crystal shared that this facility recycles 55 million pounds of PET plastic, per year. PET plastic is a clear, strong, and lightweight plastic that is perfect for recycling.
Smith family getting a tour of the Ice River Extrusion facility
We also got to see inside their Blue Mountain Plastics (BMP) Extrusions company that develops eco-friendly packaging. A few of the machines in their facility looked like something out of a storybook.
Ice River Springs Water Company
Crystal was also kind enough to also show us through their bottled water company. It was incredible to see the amount of automation that their facilities operated on.
Unlike some bottled waters that are heavily processed, Ice River spring water contains natural calcium and magnesium. The spring water they use flows through the earth, it passes through layers of rock that clean and enrich it with minerals.
The Smith family meeting Jamie & Sandy Gott for lunch in their new Utopia market
After an incredible tour of their facility, we were taken to their newly built Utopia market store. This stunning barn was built entirely from wood and built by hand. We were welcomed by Sandy and Jamie and shown around the barn, which at every turn showcased incredible architecture and attention to detail.
The view from the barn window
We enjoyed a great lunch together before saying goodbye to Sandy, who had to stay behind and finish the last few touches on this new market before opening. Utopia market is set to be open by now. Sandy and Jamie even asked if they could sell some of our sprouted products in their store, which we will certainly be taking them up on. Be sure to stop by when you are in the area.
Crystal, Jamie & Sandy taking the Smith family along the farm grounds of their new facility
After this, we were led by Jamie through his new facility, which he shared is not yet operational; it’s still a work in progress.
Jamie Gott & Eric taking the Smith family through their new development
The Gott family believes that working with nature naturally yields goodness from the land. Jamie walked and talked Stan through a machine he recently purchased from China, he explained that he had to hire and invest a lot in finding people that can assemble it. This machine will be used to generate CO2 that will be pumped into the greenhouse that will be growing vegetables.
We felt like we wanted to stay longer, however, we had to say our goodbyes to Jamie as he had to go harvest some spelt, before the storm came in the next day. The life of a farmer is always controlled by the weather.
Eric & Stan standing on a freshly harvested Osprey Organics farm
We were then taken by Eric the farm manager to one of Osprey Organics oat field which was recently harvested.
Osprey Organics practices low-till and multi-species cover crops, leaving the carbon in the soil. These organic practices not only ensure healthy soil for the next crop, but they also ensure it for years to come. When we visited their organic oat farm, it was recently harvested. The farm manager, Eric, mentioned that they intentionally leave crops behind to add carbon to the soil. It’s something that they have done for years, and the proof is in the grain.
Alonna & Stan listening to Eric explain the importance of rotating crops
Southern Ontario, where Osprey Organic Farms is located, is known for having fertile soil over most of the region which was left by the glaciers. The south of Ontario is also known to have a favorable climate for agriculture.1
Stan & Alonna interviewing Eric about farming spelt
In the image above is Stan, and Alonna are creating part of the farmer video by asking Eric some questions about growing Spelt and the challenges that arise with growing organic grains in Ontario.
Alonna explaining to Eric that he will eventually see Osprey Organics as the farmer the next time he gets a bag of spelt flour
Organic farming first emerged in Canada in the 1950s. More than half of all certified farms are found in Western Canada with Saskatchewan having more than any other province, with more than 1000. 2
The Smith family & Eric watching Jamie Gott harvest spelt
We were also invited to watch Jamie harvest the last few acres of spelt on another field that also operates under Osprey Organics. The challenge with harvesting such large pieces of land is that it can often get stuck in the combine, which can only be fixed by cleaning it by hand. This is what happened while we were watching Jamie harvest spelt, and it’s a tedious task that many farmers dislike.
Jamie Gott driving the combine
When Jamie was done harvesting spelt he drove the combine back to their processing facility.
A tote of freshly harvested spelt from Osprey Organics
Eric mentioned that he couldn’t let us leave without showing us their milling facility where in the colder seasons they mill their own flour on a much smaller scale compared to our facility in Mission, BC.
Eric taking the Smith family on a tour of their seasonal milling facility
We also got to hold and see the spelt that Jamie harvested. This spelt is usually cleaned and sent to our facility in BC, where we process and mill our own spelt flour. However, before we do that, the spelt grains are sprouted and dried.
Spelt whole grains straight from the farm
Ontario comprises of varied landscapes, including vast, rocky, and mineral-rich Canadian Shield, which is known to separate the fertile farmland in the south and the grassy lowlands of the north. There are more than 250,000 lakes around Ontario, which contain one-fifth of the world’s fresh water.
Jamie Gott harvesting the last bit of spelt from his farm
We are so thrilled to have had the opportunity to experience and see firsthand how our organic grains are grown.
This behind-the-scenes peek into our trip to Ontario: stay tuned to our page for the full-farmer video and story of Osprey Organics, coming soon. Stay in the loop by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for delicious content and more opportunities to meet the farmers behind our ingredients.
REFERENCES
- Ontario Province Available from: https://www.britannhica.com/place/Ontario-province/History Accessed on: September, 2025
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Organic Agriculture Available from: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/organic-agriculture
