End of an era? Not so fast: Arva Flour Mill saved after sale to local businessman
The historic Arva Flour Mill will continue to operate after the 202-year-old mill was purchased by a local businessman.
In a release issued early Wednesday morning it was announced that local businessman Mark Rinker had purchased the Mill with a plan to keep it operating while looking at new ways to grow the business.
“It’s simple really, being at the Mill gives me joy. From a very young age I formed a bond with the property, the people and processes that make the Mill special,” said Mark Rinker in a statement sent to media.
Rinker says he is recently retired as a VP of Sale with a pharmacy automation company and that the timing was right for his new venture.
“Keeping the rich history and traditions of the Mill intact are as important to me as any commercial success,” said Rinker in his statement.
According to the media release Rinker intends to work closely with the Matthews family which has owned the Mill for the last century.
When the property went up for sale there was interest from as far away as China, but in the end local won out.
“We had a lot of interest from multiple parties all over the world who wanted to re-develop the land, but ultimately, Mark’s vision to respect and continue the legacy of what our family has built
over the last 100 years was most important to us,” said former owner Mike Matthews in a statement.
A vision for the future
With roughly 100 individual customers visiting the Mill every day Rinker says he will continue to honour and serve those customers while increasing retail distribution and a plan to grow the brand.
Among the ideas is updating equipment and new infrastructure for new projects.
One such project would be to mill gluten free flours in a separate building with dedicated equipment to prevent cross contamination.
Rinker says he also has a vision to partner long-term with a winery or distillery onsite.
Another plan is to have the property become a net zero carbon producer by utilizing the hydroelectric power from the dam to power the property.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.