Cheese maker comes of age with energy-smart dairy
Globe and Mail / Naomi Carniol / 17 February 2010
The windmill is the first clue. The eight solar panels on the roof are another. A visitor to Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. in Prince Edward County, Ont., quickly realizes this is no ordinary dairy.
Fifth Town, which produces handmade goat and sheep cheeses, is North America's first Platinum LEED-certified dairy.
Creating a sustainable dairy that meets third-party benchmarks for a high-performance green building doesn't come cheap. Fifth Town's sleek wood and concrete building cost $2-million in 2008. About $400,000 went toward eco-friendly elements such as Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, non-toxic paints and low-flow faucets.
But Petra Cooper, the dairy's CEO and founder, says her green investment is paying off in a myriad of ways, proving sustainability not only helps the planet, but can also benefit a business strategically.
Being green “put Fifth Town on the map, faster than might have happened otherwise,” she says.
