Local food producers get hands-on training session at local Sobeys
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2019 (1746 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Farmer’s markets are often a rite of summer — a time to purchase locally grown produce, honey, jams, and more. But a chain of grocery stores wants to change how Canadians shop locally. With its “Look for Local” program, grocery giant Sobeys aims to bring local products into its stores on a year-round basis.
In partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Sobeys Extra on Pembina Highway hosted an information session on Tuesday targeting 15 local food processors, growers and entrepreneurs to help them bring their local food products into grocery stores.
Manitoba Agriculture’s business development specialist, Jeff Fidyk led the session.
“A lot of you started making something at home,” Fidyk told the group. “Maybe you had a secret family recipe, maybe you or a family member has a food allergy. You’ve identified a need in the market and you’ve decided to fill it.”
One local entrepreneur, Natalie Dueck, decided to fill that need in 2003. At the time, Dueck began to change her eating habits and turned her cracker recipes into a business at the St. Norbert Farmer’s Market.
As production rolled on, Dueck developed more products, including items for gluten free and keto diets. In 2011, after giving birth to her eighth child, she won the Great Manitoba Food Fight which enabled her to expand her operations on a commercial scale.
The cracker brand, known as “Rawnata” is a twist on the Latin word renate, meaning reborn. Dueck said healthy eating gives people an opportunity to change their life.
“A lot of people are really embracing that concept to change their eating, live longer and have a healthier, more productive life,” she said.
In August 2018, Sobeys began carrying Rawnata and now Dueck’s products are in 170 stores.
Gary Hughes, local business development manager for Sobeys, said the information sessions help bring unique products into stores.
“It creates a destination for those local items to be into our stores that were maybe only available in the farmer’s market and hopefully sets us apart from the store down the street,” said Hughes.
While the Look for Local program has ran for four years in eastern Canada, and one and a half years in western Canada, Hughes said he anticipates the program will continue to grow.
“With events like this and getting this kind of turnout, there’s people out there producing products. It’s really becoming that incubator opportunity for Sobeys to find the next great big thing to grow within the company and I think this will be the pipeline for innovation and new items as we move forward,” said Hughes.
Manitoba Agriculture says it plans to host more training sessions across the province later in the year.
nadya.pankiw@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 7:23 PM CDT: Adds photo
Updated on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 8:07 PM CDT: Fixes photo caption typos.