Benoit Aquin
By Martine Dufour
On June 23, 2010, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, presented a prestigious Award in Celebration of the Nation’s Table <http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=13710&lan=eng> to the Avataq Cultural Institute, for the creation of the five Northern Delights herbal teas.
Charlie Arngak, president of the Avataq Cultural Institute, accepted the award during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s official residence.
This year marks the first edition of the Governor General’s Awards in Celebration of the Nation’s Table. The awards recognize and celebrate outstanding efforts in improving the quality, variety and sustainability of Canadian food.
The Avataq Cultural Institute received its award in the Stewardship and Sustainability category, which recognizes the individuals and organizations that contribute to the preservation of Canada’s food culture while safeguarding the environment, food security and health.
Above all, the award therefore celebrates the ethical and sustainability concerns behind Northern Delights herbal teas. When it began producing the teas, the Avataq Cultural Institute took particular care to develop a culturally significant product that would not only help transmit ancestral knowledge about the medicinal plants that grow on Quebec’s tundra, but create jobs in the region and fund activities for all Nunavimmiut – and protect the region’s fragile ecosystem in the process.
For more information about the Northern Delights herbal teas made by the Avataq Cultural Institute, visit www.deliceboreal.com.
