10 Awesome Things You Didn’t Know Were Made in Canada
Everybody knows the telephone was invented in Canada, but how many people know that 95 percent of the world's lentils come from Saskatchewan, or that we make more French fries than most countries combined? Check out this list of Canada's most fascinating exports!
Proudly Made in Canada!
Did you know most of the world’s French fries come from New Brunswick?
New Brunswick-based McCain Foods makes one out of every four French fries produced in the world, and many come from a state-of-the art potato processing plant that’s in Florenceville-Bristol. The small town in western New Brunswick has taken on the moniker “The French Fry Capital of the World.” Not surprisingly, this is the location of the Potato World museum, and the heart of the mid-July National French Fry Day celebrations.
Discover more of Canada’s quirkiest museums.
Did you know Carleton Place makes the world’s best baseball bats?
In the 2012 Major League Baseball season, more than 100 players chose to swing Canadian maple wood bats—better known as the “Sam Bat.” Sam Holman, founder of the The Original Maple Bat Corporation, invented the bat by choosing maple wood, a harder wood than the traditionally used ash. So, if you see a professional player with a little bat logo on their baseball bat, that’s one of the 18,000 sluggers made in Canada each year at the Sam Blat plant in Carleton Place, a half-hour from Ottawa.
Here are 10 day trips from Ottawa worth adding to your itinerary.
Did you know Saskatchewan produces most of the world’s lentils?
No matter where you roam, order some lentil soup and odds are you’re getting a little taste of home. Canada is the largest producer and exporter of green lentils in the world—about 1.5 million metric tonnes annually, with 95 percent of it coming from Saskatchewan.
Discover 10 classic Canadian foods—and the best places in the country to find them.
Did you know Scarborough makes most of the world’s Halls?
If you pick up a pack of Halls, you’ll be getting another little taste of home, since they’re made in the GTA. In fact, those little cough drops are Scarborough’s biggest export, with an estimated 7-billion lozenges consumed in North America annually; enough that if you lined them side-by-side, they would circle the Earth at the equator approximately 3.4 times.
Find out more mind-blowing facts about Canada.
Did you know Winnipeg mints coins for over 60 countries?
The Royal Winnipeg Mint produces coins for 80 different countries, including centavos for Cuba, kroner for Norway, and pesos for Colombia. Currently, the Mint can produce over 20 million coins a day.
Here are 50 reasons you’ve got Winnipeg all wrong.
Did you know Hamilton makes the world’s Swedish Fish?
Those chewy Swedish Fish sure weren’t made in Sweden! More than 5 billion of the colourful little candies are produced in Hamilton, Ontario every year—that’s all of the Swedish Fish consumed in North America. Every day, about 13 million of the little fish are produced at a factory in Hamilton, which also makes Sour Patch Kids.
Check out 10 great Canadian snacks you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Did you know Toronto makes the world’s best racing bikes?
Using the same tools and techniques as Formula One teams, Toronto-based Cervélo builds what have been called the world’s fastest and lightest bikes. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, athletes riding Cervélo bikes won 10 medals, while in 2008, Carlos Sastre rode a Cervélo bike to win the Tour de France.
Don’t miss this expert advice on how to buy a bike.
Did you know Winnipeg makes most of the world’s scratch cards?
Walk into almost any corner store in the world for an instant-win lottery ticket, and there’s a good chance your scratch card was printed by Winnipeg company Pollard Banknote. Founded in 1907, Pollard now has facilities throughout North America, however a significant amount of its lottery scratch cards are still made in Canada.
Discover the fascinating story of how Canada got its name.
Did you know the world’s best cymbals come from New Brunswick?
Where do the cymbals used by Rush, Keith Harris of the Black Eyed Peas, the Philadelphia Orchestra and marching bands around the world come from? The small village of Meductic (population 300), located along the Saint John River in southern New Brunswick. SABIAN cymbals are sold in 120 countries around the world.
Find out how the town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick became the Chocolate Capital of Canada.
Did you know Trenton makes tons of dinosaurs?
No, they don’t make dinosaurs like in Jurassic Park, but it’s the next best thing. Research Casting International, the leading company for constructing dinosaur remains (casting, restoring, mounting and repairing), is located in a 48,000 sq.ft. airplane-hanger-sized building in Trenton, Ontario. The company has created more than 750 of the mighty beasts for museums around the world.
Check out the best places to see dinosaur fossils across Canada.
