Since 1998, Rodrigues Winery has undergone two major expansions in plant and equipment resulting in achieving an annual production capacity of 24,000 cases. Thus, coupled with bountiful resources of wild berries and controlled farm-grown fruit, the Winery is capable of supplying the ever-growing and demanding export markets both within Canada and abroad.

In 1998, The Kashruth Council of Toronto certified Rodrigues Winery Kosher and Pareve COR530 - the only Winery in Canada to receive this designation to date. Also, in 2000, in preparation for exporting the Wines to the USA, the Winery applied for and received OU certification from the Orthodox Union of Jewish Congregations of America. In 2001 an elevated certification as Kosher for Passover or OUP was received.

Why Kosher? In recent years, kosher has become one of the fastest-growing trends in the food and beverage industry, and publications as diverse as Adweek, Food and Wine Magazine and Rolling Stone have declared kosher to be one of the hot food and beverage trends coming out of the nineties. And why the rising popularity? To begin with, only 25% of the consumers who purchase kosher food and beverages are of the Jewish faith. In addition to those who do purchase kosher products for religious reasons, the majority of consumers are doing so because they are health conscious. Kosher certification carries that perception of "Good Housekeeping seal of approval" because of the strict laws governing production facilities and the stringent requirements attached to all components used in the processing of a consumable product.

At Rodrigues Winery, where our wild berries are grown in a pollution-free environment and our fruit is grown pesticide-free, we ensure that all of the ingredients as well as the processing equipment and environment for the making of our Wine meet or exceed the certification requirements for kosher. In fact, the Winery is subjected to regular inspections by both Canadian and U.S. approval agencies.

As further testimony to our quality control objectives, application for certification ISO9002 accreditation is currently pending.