Ontario winery owners pitch red wine health product

Do the skins of red wine grapes deliver additional health benefits? The proprietors of Southbrook Vineyards think so, and they hope exposure on a national television show will convince the rest of the country, too.

Bill and Marilyn Redelmeier, co-owners of Southbrook Vineyards, and Robert Egli have developed Bioflavia Organic Grape Skin Powder, a health product made from the crushed and dried skins of red wine grapes. They will present their product on CBC's Dragons' Den in hopes of securing an investment deal. The episode will air on Mar. 7 at 8 p.m. ET across Canada.

Egli says that they had a positive experience on the program that is known for its tough critics.

“They treated us with great respect. Sometimes what you see on TV is not what you see in real life," says Egli.

Bioflavia is high in anti-oxidants and the powder can be consumed in yogurts, smoothies or even baked into brownies. It adds "a nice wine-chocolate flavour to the brownies,” says Egli, Bioflavia's director of sales and marketing.

Bioflavia is currently available in a 300-gram cannister in 150 food stores across Canada. They hope to develop export deals and to release Canada's first organic grape seed oil under the Bioflavia brand.

The Redelmeiers and Egli have signed distribution deals for Bioflavia in Singapore and Indonesia. They are flying to Germany today to present their idea at a health show in Germany, and they plan to go the United States to explore distribution possibilities in March 2012.