Keen on quinoa.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: NEWS

Jamie Draves didn't set out to become a quinoa producer. But after a health scare eight years ago, he's become a believer in the nutritional benefits of the plant, and is now working to commercialize a growth and production operation in Northern Ontario through his company, Katan Kitchens.

In 2007, Draves was diagnosed with idiopathic pancreatitis--inflammation of the pancreas with no traceable cause--and traditional medicine proved unhelpful in diagnosing or healing his illness.

Consulting with a team of health-care professionals, he focused on developing a diet that would improve his digestion, immune system and overall health, putting "superfoods" like quinoa at the centre of his back-to-health strategy.

The plan worked; Draves preserved two thirds of his pancreas and has since regained his health.

"I continue to have to manage what I eat, and there are certain things, like alcohol, that I can never really have again," Draves said. "But that list of what I can have continues to expand and, for the most part, I feel better than I have in a long, long time."

Draves partnered with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association to test the viability of quinoa in Northern Ontario. More than 50 varieties have been tested since the first crop trials in 2011, and he's now settled on a variety that he said has emerged as the "top candidate for commercialization."

"The quinoa, even though it's grown in South America, it's grown in the mountains, so it prefers the hot days, cool nights, and that's quite conducive to that Northern Ontario climate," said Draves.

Draves favours the Northern Ontario growing region for personal reasons, too. Originating from Cochrane, his family retains close ties to the area...