SEPTEMBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Winery upstart banks on ranch’s rich history


Monte Creek’s grass-fed beef integral to partnership with TRU


by MYRNA STARK LEADER KAMLOOPS—Creating a


working relationship with Thompson Rivers University (TRU) has been mutually beneficial for Monte Creek Ranch Winery. Mission’s Sidhu family, well-


known as a nursery operator and blueberry growers, established the winery in 2009. It wanted to try its hand at grape and wine production in the midst of what remains primarily cattle country. It bought a few parcels totalling 1,200 acres about 20 minutes east of Kamloops and chose a name that honoured the area’s ranching history . The former large working ranch has been converted over the past 10 years from mostly hay into 75 acres of grape vines on both sides of the South Thompson River, about three acres of haskaps, some chickens, two pigs and about a dozen Black Angus cattle. Most of the property


remains leased to local ranchers but Monte Creek keeps its own cattle to help tell the story of the land and promote local food. The animals, and the large cement feed trough that sits at the back of the property, have been part of guests’ wine tasting/restaurant experience since the tasting room opened in 2015. General manager Erik


Fisher came on board in 2014 to help oversee the winery’s completion, develop the business plan and brand, and manage the operation. Having previously worked for Andrew Peller Ltd. in sales and marketing as well as


directing the sales team that launched Red Bull in BC, he is focused on the customer experience. “Pushing boundaries is a


big part of who we are. Every day we are trying to get better and a lot of that comes through trial and experimentation,” says Fisher. It’s something he loves and encourages with his team. Fisher approached TRU early on to explore the potential of processing the winery’s cattle into jerky. “The size of our herd and


the TRU program seemed like a fit. We wanted to produce more farm-fresh product and we wanted to create something locally to avoid shipping the cattle away when they were being consumed here,” says Fisher. Now, it’s part of the nine-


month retail meat-processing certificate program (the only one of its kind in BC), giving students a chance to learn meat-cutting and to create jerky. Forty-pound batches are branded and packaged at the winery while remaining cuts are retailed in TRU’s campus meat store. In return, TRU is featured in videos about Monte Creek discussing the ranch’s grass- fed beef.


Retail meat processing


instructor Corey Davison says students get to see it’s possible to promote and sell products raised locally. “Training on local product


impacts the way our students make decisions in their careers,” says Davison. “The local food movement has sprouted a resurgence of small butcher shops … I have a graduate from Fort St. John


23


The majority of the 1,200 acres at Monte Creek Ranch Winery is leased to other ranchers, but the dozen beef cattle it runs are the foundation for a thriving partnership with Thompson Rivers University. MYRNA STARK LEADER PHOTO


and a graduate from Duncan that have opened up small processing businesses in the last two years.” The program has a


capacity of 14 students per year, a growing number of which are women. Grads are in high demand, with TRU fielding more than 40 job postings for students. Davison says some go to supermarkets but most wind up at small processors. “I believe this is because


we train on the whole animal, processing the entire carcass and utilizing as much as possible for value-added products like jerky and sausage,” he explains. TRU students created a custom, teriyaki-style jerky for Monte Creek. But jerky isn’t the only


work with TRU. Collaborative effort Fisher says Monte Creek


has worked with John Church, BC Regional Innovation Chair in Cattle Industry Sustainability at TRU, to investigate the value of


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