SUPPORTS RURAL COMMUNITIES
The County Bounty began as a market garden organic vegetable farm in 2016 outside of Picton in Prince Edward County. It mainly focused on a 20 person CSA and restaurant sales. At the end of her second season of farming, Dodie Ellenbogen was gifted a large flat of strawberries that were about to turn and spoil in the hopes that she, as a farmer, would be able to preserve the last of the summer in some way. Many farmers branch out into jams and preserves to be able to stretch out their produce over the winter months, but Dodie simply did not have the passion or skill to preserve anything well. Instead, she began to search for other ways to save these strawberries. Luckily she came across a recipe for cordials. She began to experiment with all sorts of weird and wonderful local flavours in unique combinations to create some cordials for market. They were so well received that she decided to take it to the next level and pursue bottled soda. In 2018 she launched the sodas as a farm value-added product and it caught like wild-fire! She has now switched to making soda as her full time pursuit but has not forgotten her roots as a farmer and she continues to support her fellow local farmers by sourcing as much Ontario-grown produce as possible. As the sodas have scaled up and life has moved on, Dodie and her partner, along with their son, have moved to the close-by community of Napanee and have expanded the soda operation into a larger facility.
The team has now grown to 4 people to produce and deliver sodas to you! Everyone is paid at least a living wage according to the Living Wage Network, and all full time staff have benefits. We are able to implement these quality of life measures thanks to you folks buying our product.
If you have been a part of The County Bounty story up until now, the amount of gratitude Dodie and the whole County Bounty team feels for your support is indescribably deep. As a local business, every single person that supports you is a pillar or strength and support that is not taken for granted. If you are just starting your journey with The County Bounty then please let that gratitude extend to you, as we are still in our fledgling stage of growing and learning from you!
Stay tuned to our instagram (@thecountybounty) and Facebook (facebook.com/thecountybounty) to see what’s happening with us at home, in the factory, and out in the streets!
We would like to acknowledge that the land which nourishes us is on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) peoples.This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties.
Through Ta7talíya Paisley Eva Nahanee from the Squamish Nation (Nahanee Creative), we have learnt that our responsibility as settlers goes far beyond acknowledgment. Instead, we should seek to honour the land, the traditional ancestors that cared for it, and their kin that continue to live on it today.
We continue to source our ingredients as local as possible and maintain relationships with our farmers.
21 Things you may not know about the Indian Act by PC Joseph: a fundamental book for understanding the depths to which the Canadian government and the settlers of Canada went to undermine the autonomy and power of Indigenous peoples.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall-Kimmerer: What a deeper understanding of what ‘all our relations’ means in Indigenous culture and how that can inform science.
Bad Medicine by John Reilly: A rethinking of the justice system as witnessed by a white guy who realizes how destructive his career as a judge has been isolating indigenous people from their communities and not honouring healing practices within the community.
Becoming a Matriarch by Helen Knott: A memoir of an Indigenous woman stepping into her role as matriarch of her family after a lifetime of struggles, but also grit and perseverance given to her by her mother and grandmother.
White Women by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao: A stark and needed reminder of the complicity of all white woman in the structures of white supremacy and how to do better.
On the bedside table but not yet read: Seven Fallen Feathers, All the White Friends I Couldn’t Keep. Please email me with more suggestions.
June 18, 2024: Our cans say that we are “working towards” contributing a percentage of our wealth gained to Indigenous organizations. At the time of writing the copy for the can, our business was really struggling to make any money at all, never mind being able to earmark a certain portion for donations. I am so happy to say that we have now moved beyond that initial struggle and can whole-heartedly commit $5000 this year in donations to organizations. I will begin to change the copy on the can, but in the meantime I can post below where we have donated to and a brief description of why if needed. If you have any suggestions or comments for where the money should be allocated, I would love to know.
2024 Donations to date:
$500 to Tyendinaga Pow Wow
$515.24 to Native Women’s Association of Canada. They are an organization that “defends the rights, delivers programming to, and amplifies the perspectives of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people in Canada, inclusive of First Nations – on and off reserve, status and non-status, disenfranchised – Métis, and Inuit. We were founded on the collective goal to enhance, promote, and foster the social, economic, cultural, and political well-being of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people within their respective communities and Canadian societies.”
Further work: I had a customer point me towards the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, and introduced to me their PAR program. This is now a goal for me to complete in the fall and winter of 2024.
Eastern Ontario
Prince Edward County
The Agrarian Market
Taste of County (both locations)
Foodland Picton
Foodland Wellington
Picton Metro
The Acoustic Grill
All My Friend’s Brewing
The Campbell’s Orchards
County Cider Company - Waupoos
Crepe Escape
Fawn Over Market
The Grange Winery
The Local Store: 768 County road 12
Parsons Brewing Co.
The Royal Hotel
Slake Brewin
Strato’s Pizzeria
555 Brewing Co.
The County Canteen
Ellena’s Cafe - Napanee *great selection
Napanee Metro - Local stand
Abrams Bakery
The Giddy Goat Cafe - Amherstview
Mackinnon Brothers Brewing Co. - Bath
Paul’s Pizzeria - Napanee
Motif Boutique *great selection!
Top Shelf Preserves *great selection
The Piggy Market *great selection (usually all flavours)
Equator Coffee (Almonte)
Lumberjaxe Throwing Hall
Mike Dean Super Food Store all locations!
Mint and Honey Tea and Gift Emporium
Ottawa Valley Coffee - Renfrew
Pot & Pantry
The Red Apron
Redbird Live
Seed to Sausage General Sotre
Temple’s Sugar Shack
The Village Market (Burnstown)
TORONTO
100km foods (online market for delivery in Toronto)
Alternity Community Hub
Auntie Em’s Deli and Coffee
Culinary Adventure Co Food Tours in a BOX
Fiesta Farms
Fresh City Farms (online market for home delivery)
Mabel’s Bakery
Mama Earth Organics
Morning Parade Coffee Bar
Pizzeria Libretto - ALL locations
Summerhill Market - Annex
The Sweet Potato
Wanda’s Pies in the Sky
Kandl Artistique
SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO REGION
AURA-LA Pastires & Provisions - Kitchener
Bad Apples Brewing Co - Zurich
Crump Family Farm - Ilderton
Humble Lotus - Kitchener
Maitland Market and Supply - Goderich
Mercant 6 - Exeter
The White Squirrel Bakery - Exeter
Modern Maple - Port Stanley
KAWARTHA LAKES & SIMCOE REGION
The Night Kitchen - Peterborough
One Fine Food - Peterborough
The Sweet Kitchen - Lindsay
HAMILTON & NIAGARA REGION
Alitura Fine Foods & Market
The Casual Gourmet - Hamilton
Dundurn Market - Hamilton
The Nooks Niagara Outlet - NOTL
Strathcona Market - Hamilton
Stratus Vineyards
Sun Ray Orchards Market on Main - Grimsby
QUINTE WEST & NORTH HUMBERALND
Brambleberry Farms in Wooler
Burger Revolution - Downton Belleville
Forgorig Brewing - Campbellford
Glovers Farm Market - Warkworth
Lavender Queen Lavender Farm - Yarker
Meyer’s Creek Brewing
Sharpe’s Food Market
Taste of Country: 16 Roblin road - best selection
7/62 Brewery in Madoc
Daughter’s General Store - best selection
The Everly Restaurant
Food Less Travelled in Verona
Improbable Escapes
Juniper Cafe
Old Farm Fine Foods
Salt of the Earth Kingston
The Screening Room
The Silly Yak
Back Forty Artisan Cheese - Mississippi Station
Dairy Distillery - Almonte
Grains and Goods Bakery - Syndenham
Kick and Push Brewing Co - Sharbot Lake
King’s Lock Craft Distillery - Prescott
Lavallee’s Cookery - Inverary
Mike Dean’s Super Food Store - Sharbot Lake
Recess Cafe - Portland
Tom’s Pantry (Alexandria)
The Tipped Ship (Elgin) - amazing selection
ALONG THE 401:
Lofty Kitchen - Colborne
GREATER TORONTO AREA
The Second Wedge Brewing Co. - Uxbridge
Third Moon Brewing - Milton
BARRIE WAY, GEORGIAN BAY REGION & NORTH
Boon Bakery - Owen Sound
Grassroots Wood Fired Pizza - Lucknow
Knowhere Public House - Sudbury
Mad Hatter’s Table - Cookstown
The Pine - Collingwood
Rosemont General Store
Sheldon Creek Dairy - Loretto
Trestle Brewing Co - Parry Sound
Two Sisters Inn - Markdale
London
Artisan Bakery
Sarnia
Downtown Market Sarnia
Raspberry Lime soda: This delicious combination is made from farm fresh raspberries because of their rich colour and intense flavour, along with freshly pressed lime juice. We mix it up with both white and brown sugar to give this drink lots of body. It is pure summer fun and your mouth is sure to loves every sip! Dodie loves to mix this with tequila for a quick “margarita” but Sam recommends mixing it with spiked lemonade. Nutritional Info: 30g Carbs/can
Strawberry Basil soda: Summer strawberry sweetness with a savoury basil note - a great way to remember those hot summer days on the beach or in your garden. This is one of our simplest, yet most perfect combinations. Pairs well with a fresh garden salad or a juicy bbq steak. Julia mixes this with gin and says “It’s amazing!”, while others prefer vodka for something more neutral, or a white rum. Nutritional Info: 30g Carbs/can
Sour Cherry and Mint soda: A sweet treat, and not sour at all! Sour cherries are not actually sour, and are just one of many different kinds of cherries. We use them over ‘sweet’ cherries because we LOVE the big flavour they pack, and when paired with mint, you can’t go wrong. It’s refreshing, juicy and full of flavour. Dodie always mixes hers with white rum for a “Mojito”, but fancy dark rum would be yummy too, or something neutral like vodka. Nutritional Info: 30g Carbs/can
Wild Grape and Ginger soda: We get the grapes in the fall from farm fences and put them straight into this drink. These grapes are tangy, powerful and mind-blowing. We cook ginger in with the grapes when we make the syrups, which adds a subtle ginger background note, so don’t think grape soda or ginger ale….this is in a league of it’s own. Anyone from maple country knows to mix this with Sortilege (maple whisky)! Nutritional Info: 30 g carbs/can
Apple Lemon Fennel soda: Don’t let the word fennel turn you off! This soda tastes like the best lemonade you’ve ever had because it’s not too sweet, not too sour, and mixes so so well with gin. The fennel blends perfectly with the apples and lemon juice so that it doesn’t stand out, but amplifies all the other flavours. This is Dodie’s favourite drink with a splash of gin! Nutritional Info: 30g Carbs/can
Cherry Vanilla soda: You asked, we made it! Here’s something a little more approachable for those looking for a ‘cola’ style drink. Ontario sour cherries, with lots of brown sugar and molasses notes make for a VERY crushable can. When Mike is entertaining, he likes to mix this with Amaretto and a splash of lemon juice. His guests love it, but you could always go with a classic rum and “cola” style drink.
Lavender Lemon-Basil soda: Fresh, floral, and easy to drink. Lavender ain’t only meant for soaps! The culinary lavender we use is smooth and aromatic, but not overwhelming. The lemon basil blends perfectly and we add a touch of citric acid to make your mouth smile. A great start to a great cocktail. Sam has had many of these with a splash of St. Germaine! Nutritional Info: 22g Carb/can
Gooseberry Peach Soda: Gooseberries taste like a cross between a blueberry and a cranberry, but are also so unique all on their own! It’s a native plant to this area of the world, so let’s celebrate it! Mixed with Ontario peaches for some of that good good sweetness. Vivian was wowed when she mixed this with gin, and Diana mixes hers with Peach Schnapps. Nutritional Info: 30g Carbs/can
Rose-Hibiscus Hops soda: This flavour has been best described as an “adult cream soda”. The rosehips and hibiscus pack a big punch and the bitter hops bring you back down to earth. This soda is light, cheerful, and has many people hooked! No other flavour, when loved, is loved as much. If you haven’t tried it with a splash of creme de cassis, you are missing out, but Mike also loves to mix this with any IPA, including DIPAs and TRIPAs. Nutritional Info: 22g Carb/can
Foraged Botanicals Tonic: This soda is made completely from foraged ingredients! Staghorn Sumac, Juniper Berries (from scrubby Eastern Cedars), Cedar leaves and Pine needles all go into this drink. The sumac hits your tongue with a tartness that mellows into a beautiful forest flavour, making this the perfect tonic for your gin. This has been a County Bounty classic from the start, being mixed with gins that are heavier on the botanicals like Ungava, Georgian Bay, Isle of Harris or Sloe Gin. Nutritional Info: 22g Carb/can
Rhubarb Citrus Peel soda: This one is a weird one and we mean that in the best possible way! Imagine full-bodied, tangy rhubarb, plus all the pithiness from the peels and boom - you’ve got the best “grapefruit” drink this side of the equator. We use the peels from other soda flavours, so that we can give “waste” new life. Julia mixes this with triple sec and vodka to get all the citrus notes possible in her cocktail, but others prefer citrus forward gins.
Blackcurrant Lemonade: This flavour has very quickly become a crowd favourite! Dark and delicious blackcurrants blend so perfectly with fresh pressed lemon juice to make your mouth so happy every dang time. Sam says ‘You’ve gotta try it with the Raspberry Moonshine from Top Shelf Distillers!' and we believe her! If you’re looking for something quick, mix with vodka, because that always does the trick ;)
Try out our full line up of zero-calorie sparkling waters. We infused the water with full moon moonlight and set our intentions for the month ahead as we make this drink (shout out to my witchy girlies). As always, we use Ontario grown fruits to flavour these waters, but add zero sugar (and zero sugar substitutes). What you get is a crisp, tart, refreshing drink that is clean eating at it’s finest.
We have a line up of iced teas you will find to be such a treat! We use Ontario fruits to flavour them, and they are all made with Orange Pekoe black tea, so there is a hint of caffeine.
Currently in stock: Watermelon Iced tea, Strawberry Rhubarb Iced tea and Saskatoon Berry Iced tea
Looking to supply your restaurant, store or business with County Bounty Soda? We work with a network of distributors in the region. They all offer different services (different minimum orders and pricing), so you can shop around among them, OR fill out the form below to contact us for direct delivery throughout Ontario.
Ottawa - Chelsea region: ASP Distribution
PEC-Kingston-Belleville-Ottawa - Renfrew - Eastern Ontario: Creel and Gambrel Distribution
Oshawa to Cornwall and everything in between - Findlay Foods
Southern Ontario, Toronto to PEC/Quinte regions: 100 km Foods, who specialize in other local gourmet products and produce.
Toronto and surrounding regions: NevRask Sales and Distribution which can be reached HERE
GFS: We are also now listed in GFS as part of their drop ship program. This means that If you regularly use GFS already, you can now add our sodas to your cart, and we ship them through Fedex to your location. Item #s 1461933 thru 1461948. There are no minimums and no shipping charges with GFS! *Seasonal flavours and Iced Teas not currently available through GFS.
The rest of Ontario: Please use the form below to contact us,
If are you an individual looking to place an order that is six cases or more (ie: for a wedding or event), please contact us using the form below.
We have provided a number of clients with custom sodas, with amazing results. We are equipped to help you with flavour development, research and development of your flavour, and small batch custom production and design work. For more information, please contact:
Dodie@thecountybounty.com
*Please check your junk folders, as our answers sometimes end up there. We always email back within 48 hours.
DODIE ELLENBOGEN
Dodie@thecountybounty.com
