New Growth for Homegrown

It’s been a few months since Homegrown, and I think I’ve finally come down from the wave of stories, hugs, tears, and that dance party! If you weren’t able to attend this year, or we didn’t get a chance to meet, hello! And if we did, I miss you! I hope you had a summer that was equal parts bud and blossom, and that you’ve arrived in this new season recharged and ready to reseed.

I’ve got some news that’s equal parts exciting and a little scary (the best kind, right?)

I’ve taken on a full-time role as a Business Advisor with the Huron Business Centre (HBC), and Homegrown is growing stronger roots with HBC as its lead partner. [CUE THE BALLOON DROP!]

Now before you wonder if that means Homegrown will lose its bloom, let me reassure you: NOPE.

All the things we love about Homegrown – the connections, the energy, the vibe – aren’t going anywhere. Huron Business Centre has been a sponsor and a champion of Homegrown from the beginning, and they’ve given me and Homegrown a bigger plot to grow into.

Our friends at LaunchIt Business Exploration Centre, who helped do the hard work of breaking ground and planting seeds in these first few seasons, will forever be a Founding Partner, and their team will still be part of the growing cycle when initiatives align with their mission.

Behind the scenes, it will still be me tending the garden and growing the community. But sometimes, the gardener needs her own support stake. 😉

Running a business for the past 10+ years has been equal parts thrilling and exhausting. And creating Homegrown has been one of the brightest sparks through it all. But here’s the truth: keeping the wheels turning on my design studio, finding energy to dream, plan, and execute Homegrown at the scale it deserves, while managing a household… it’s been a lot. If you know, you know. And I know you know.

With HBC’s infrastructure, resources and support, Homegrown will keep blooming and stay a true regional gathering, open to rural women from across Huron, Bruce, Grey, Perth and Wellington Counties. Homegrown will always be a community garden.

And for me? It means I get to pour a lot more energy into growing something sustainable for us, instead of burning out trying to do all. the. things.

Photography by Ashley Noble Photography, Erin Soltys Photography,

Creative Kathleen Photography & Selah Photography

So mark your calendar now:

Homegrown 2026 is happening Thursday, June 11, 2026.

Between now and then, watch for smaller “Homegrown Hangs” — think cozy, quarterly gatherings where we can reconnect, swap stories, learn, and remind ourselves we’re not doing this wild rural business thing alone. First up: the return of Homegrown Holiday (this year with a rain snow date! 😉). Stay tuned for all the details in just a few weeks.

In the meantime, I hope you’re harvesting wonderful things in your business, and planting seeds for next year’s growth.

With gratitude, grit, and a whole lot of excitement for this next season,
Heather

P.S. If you need a little energy boost and want to see Homegrown 2025’s highlight reel, check out the gallery here.

Rooted in Collaboration: Homegrown 2025 Impact Highlights

In June 2025, more than 100 rural women from across Bruce, Huron, Grey, Perth, and Wellington Counties gathered in Lucknow for the second annual Homegrown Gathering — part pep rally, part summer camp, part business conference.

What began as an idea to connect rural women entrepreneurs has transformed into a growing network rooted in shared experience, honest conversation, and a deep love for rural life.

Homegrown’s Impact

100% of attendees said:

• Homegrown helped them connect with other rural business owners

• They would recommend Homegrown to others

• The event provided good value for the cost

More than half of attendees were in their first five years of business, while one in four had been in business for over a decade. This is proof that Homegrown continues to bridge generations of entrepreneurs and cultivate mentorship that feels natural, not forced.

What We Cultivated in 2025

This year’s program was designed to celebrate growth in all its forms, from the early-stage ideas just beginning to sprout, to established businesses that continue to evolve and adapt.

Our ‘Planting Seeds” and ‘Keep It Growing’ panels invited attendees to learn from each other’s stories, while breakout sessions offered personalized advice from local experts in finance, marketing, HR, operations and more.

The day moved at a steady, intentional rhythm, blending learning with laughter, reflection, and connection. It was a space to exhale, recalibrate, and remember why we started our businesses in the first place.

Partners in Growth

Homegrown wouldn’t bloom without the generous support of our sponsors and partners — organizations that believe in the power of rural women entrepreneurs to drive community growth.

This year, we were proud to partner with:

• Venue Sponsors: Bruce County + Township of Huron-Kinloss

• Breakfast Sponsor: Community Futures Huron

• Lunch Sponsors: Bruce CFDC, Waterloo-Wellington CFDC, and Saugeen Economic Development Corporation

• Photography Sponsors: Grey County, Huron County, Wellington County

• Roots of Community Sponsor: Saugeen Connects

• Roots of Community Sponsor: Libro Credit Union

Each partner helped cultivate a space where rural women could connect, collaborate, and grow.

The Ripple Effect

Homegrown participants leave with new collaborations, renewed confidence, and a network that keeps growing long after the event.

This year, the theme of intergenerational learning stood out. New business owners gained perspective from long-time entrepreneurs, while established founders found inspiration in the energy and creativity of up-and-coming business owners.

Homegrown is more than a gathering — it’s a reminder that growth happens best in good company.

Looking Ahead

Homegrown will return in June 2026, continuing to celebrate the creativity, resilience, and spirit of rural entrepreneurship.

For partners: Interested in sponsoring or collaborating for next year’s event? Get in touch →
For attendees: Want to be first to know when tickets go on sale? Join our mailing list →
For everyone: Relive the 2025 magic — explore our photo gallery →

Bloom in Good Company

Rural entrepreneurs are rewriting the story of what’s possible beyond the city limits. Homegrown exists to remind us that we don’t have to do it alone — we just have to do it together.

How Homegrown Took Root: The Story Behind the Gathering

In February 2021, I was doing some research for a client project through the Wellington County Museum and Archives, when I stumbled across a composite image titled “Business Men of Harriston, 1891.” It was exactly what it sounded like — a class-style photo of 30 or 40 white men with award-worthy mustaches. Not a single woman in sight.

“This picture was designed by I.V. Stafford, Harriston’s Artistic Photographer, 1899.”

That image stopped me in my tracks. Because logic dictates that women had to have been running businesses in small-town Ontario in 1899 — whether officially recognized or not. They were likely running or contributing to shops, farms, services, and family enterprises. But there was no class photo, no record, no trace.

I started to imagine what a modern version of that image would look like. The Town of Minto alone is full of female entrepreneurs — farmers, florists, designers, shop owners, stylists, bookkeepers, makers, and wellness practitioners. And that was just in my community. All across the region, women are doing business their way, shaping their communities in the process.

The Seed

Because I can’t resist a creative side project (even when I probably should), I decided to recreate that photo — but this time, with women.

I reached out to dozens of women business owners in my community and asked them to help me recreate this image (socially-distanced and digitally, of course because COVID-19).

To capture what business looks like in Minto, and around the world, in 2021. To show how the business community in Minto has changed since 1899. To share our beautiful businesses and faces as a unified whole. To demonstrate community over competition.

To my surprise and delight, they responded enthusiastically. On International Women’s Day 2021, I posted the completed collage on Instagram. It didn’t go viral — but something much better happened.

Inset description: This picture is a historical update of a photographic montage compliled by I.V. Stafford, Photography, Harriston, in 1899. This edition aims to recognize the evolution and diversity of the current business landscape, and celebrate women-owned businesses in Minto in 2021. Participation with voluntary. As such, this compilation is not exhaustive, and its creator acknowledges gaps in business owner representation.

It planted a seed.

If one small rural town had this many women in business, what about every other town across this part of Ontario?

All I could think about was getting those women in the same room.

Letting the Idea Germinate

Like any seed, my idea needed time and the right conditions to grow. For a few years, the concept lived quietly in the back of my mind until one day, on a road trip with Belinda Wick-Graham, the Director of Economic and Community Development for the Town of Minto, I finally said it out loud.

The idea for Homegrown.

If you’re a business owner or you have a business idea, and you don’t know your local economic development people, start there. Their entire job is to connect you to resources to help you grow. And in this region, that network is powered by an incredible group of women — across Bruce, Grey, Huron, Perth, and Wellington Counties — leading local business centres, Community Futures organizations, and municipal economic development departments.

When Belinda and I shared the Homegrown idea, every single one of them said yes immediately.

The First Gathering

Ten months later, in June 2024, that seed had sprouted into the first Homegrown Gathering in Lucknow, Ontario — a one-day event for female-identifying rural business owners that was designed to feel part pep rally, part summer camp, and part business conference.

Homegrown was created to do three things:

1. Help rural women business owners connect with each other.

2. Provide support, encouragement, resources, and shared learning.

3. Celebrate the creativity and resiliency of rural life.

We built the day around panels, conversations, and reflection time. Moments to listen, share, and simply be in the company of others who understand what it means to build something from the ground up.

What Grew From There

Homegrown wouldn’t have happened without our partners and sponsors — the people and organizations who nurtured the idea and helped it take root. Every single one we approached understood immediately why it mattered.

And that’s been the biggest lesson of all: you don’t have to grow alone. The village exists. You just have to stop waiting for it to find you.

Since that first gathering, Homegrown continues to grow into a regional movement that celebrates women building businesses and lives they love in rural Ontario. It’s proof that when you plant the right seed, surround it with care, and share the work of tending the garden, incredible things can bloom.

Bloom in good company,

Heather Watterworth

Creator, Homegrown Gatherings