our story
The Spirit of Agriculture
A Farm. A Desire. A Distillery.
Black Fox co-owners John Cote and Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote have earned global acclaim for their philosophy and practice of agriculture. Both fifth-generation farmers, the couple have studied and consulted on five continents and are alumni of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers program, Canadian Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program and the prestigious Nuffield Canada.
In the years before their vision of an on-farm distillery were brought to life, Barb and John owned a grain farm in rural Saskatchewan. As their appreciation for terroir deepened, so, too, did a desire to apply their skills in a way that would bring them closer to the consumer. From this, Black Fox was born.
Located just outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the Canadian prairies, Black Fox Farm and Distillery is now among the country’s most well-known and well-respected craft distilleries. Acres of fresh fruit, flowers, and grains are harvested and distilled into whisky, gin, and liqueurs that tell a story of terroir and commitment to excellence.
The name was inspired by a black fox—a creature seldom seen but impossible to ignore—that took up residence one summer at the couple’s original grain farm. A symbol of cunning and craft, the black fox has, today, become synonymous with quality, character, and innovation.
“From the beginning, we have been driven by a desire to connect with our customers, crafting products that link the soil on which they were grown to the people who enjoy it. It is our passion and our privilege to do this work. Near or far, we hope every experience you share with Black Fox fosters connection—to the soil, the self, and each other.”
Traditionally Crafted, with a Twist
Few distillers combine agriculture and distilling the way we do.
We do this not to prove that we can, but to deliver the best possible products and experiences for our customers.
Because we grow so many of our ingredients on our farm, we know what they’ve been through. This allows us to make choices and combine flavours with precision and intention.
Single origin and small batch is not a wish—it’s our promise. Every bottle sold under the Black Fox name has been fermented and distilled by us, for you, at our distillery.
We achieve our signature flavours and quality through our tools, techniques, and terroir. Using grains-in distilling, we capture the character, tenacity of the land, and its bounty by distilling these ingredients using our custom German Kothe hybrid copper pot still.
Our Terroir
Nestled in the heart of the Canadian prairies, Saskatchewan is a landlocked province known for producing some of the world’s finest, heartiest grains.
A Profound Sense of Place
Once a concept reserved for the wine industry,
terroir is fundamental to everything we do.
We are proud to be part of a movement of pioneering craft distillers who advocate for terroir, believe in the provenance of place, and understand the ways in which soil, climate, and topography influence the bounty a land bears.
Terroir is specific to a place—not to a country, state, or province, but to a field, a farm. Our farm.
Nestled in the heart of the Canadian prairies, Saskatchewan is a landlocked province known for producing some of the world’s finest, heartiest grains. We enjoy more hours of sunshine per year than any other Canadian province, with long day lengths, clean air, and water.
Living here requires a special kind of tenacity, a willingness to endure temperature fluctuations unlike anywhere else. Warm summers give way to northern winter winds, providing a rare environment in which to distill and age spirits.
We rest our whisky and select gins under prairie skies, yielding a boldness of flavour that is distinctively and uniquely Black Fox.
While each of these factors in their own right may be found elsewhere around the world—a similar soil, a variable climate—the way they combine at Black Fox is unreplicable. People, climate, soil, and plant come together to offer a true taste of who and where we are.
Sustainability
The way we treat our natural resources has a direct affect on our ability to feed ourselves, now and into the future.
Our Commitment to Environmental Stewardship
Ecology and economy can live in harmony.
Through incorporating environmentally-conscious, efficient systems across our business we pledge ourselves to a more sustainable way of life.
From ingredient production to distillation, transportation, packaging, and water conservation, our agronomic practices emphasize environmental stewardship and a love of the land. As its current custodians, we take seriously our responsibility to leave it better than when it came into our care.
We recognize that each step of the production process has an impact on the land and those who work it. Better soil management leads to more fertile soil, better crops, increased biodiversity, and improved climate regulation.
Sustainability Initiatives
In planning our distillery, it was important to us to conserve as much water as possible and reduce our waste output. Today, we reuse nearly 95% of our water, return our spent grains and fruit to our orchards and flower fields as compost fertilizer, and choose organic cleaning solutions to lower our impact on the environment.
Cover crops
Minimum tillage practices
Crop rotation
State-of-the-art drip irrigation systems
Bio-filtration system for runoff water
Mulch system for planting
Composting
Waste stream management
Nutrient management
Habitat management
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