MARCH 2020 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
Cater to chefs Demand for local products shows
no sign of slowing down
by MYRNA STARK LEADER ABBOTSFORD – Good
producers produce great products but great producers have a market for their production first, says Chuck Currie, who has held positions as executive chef at two iconic BC companies, Earls Restaurants and White Spot. Now a consultant, Currie’s clients include well-known names like food processor Kraft, grocer Save-on Foods and wholesaler Centennial Foodservice Ltd. Currie told producers attending a direct marketing seminar at the Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford at the beginning of February that the BC marketplace is the perfect spot for farms to sell local products. With 12,000 restaurants, 6,000 in Vancouver alone, and only 1.2% of those doing farm-to- table menus, there’s room for the local eating trend to continue growing. This means opportunities for growers who do their homework. Currie says great chefs
make food from what’s available and not their favourite recipes, which means it’s a producer’s job to let chefs know what’s available, what’s on trend and how to incorporate that product into their menus in a way that helps the restaurant to profit. He practices what he
preaches, having started cooking with local ingredients and buying from farmers markets in his first chef job at 19.
“I told all the farmers that instead of paying, they could have meals for free at the restaurant and it worked,” says the entrepreneur, whose father was in the air force and civil service before deciding to raise hogs. Currie’s father wrote a program to test the genetics of animals on the farm and within two years produced the top boar in Canada and began selling its semen to other producers. Currie tells the story of blending high-end salad greens like cress and red mustard with romaine lettuce to offer a unique salad with a different flavour profile. Romaine allowed him to keep the cost low. He urges producers to be
aware of consumer eating and shopping trends, pointing to vegetarianism and veganism as an example. The trend isn’t going away since the majority of those who identify as either are 30-49
years old, closely followed by 18-29 year-olds. Of the 2.3 million vegetarians in Canada and 850,000 vegans, the highest percentage are located in BC, at 8.6% and 3.9% of the population, respectively. Vancouver is among the
cities Currie recommends watching to see how this and other food trends evolve. He says farmers who aren’t marketing into Vancouver are missing the boat, and from what he sees, farmers’ social media promoting vegan and vegetarian foods should be targeted at a younger demographic than what it is today.
Another idea is to follow
prototype chefs like Vancouver’s Trevor Bird, who makes little use of processed ingredients. Bird started Fable Kitchen and
MeatMe.ca and was the runner-up in a recent Top Chef Canada competition. “You need to find young, passionate chefs and grow with them,” says Currie. “Dine
37
A wealth of Vancouver eating establishments means there’s plenty of room to grow for BC farmers, according to executive chef Chuck Currie. He spoke to farmers at the Pacific Ag Show. SUBMITTED PHOTO
at the restaurant to meet the chef. Invite them to your farm. You want them to know what you do and you need to know what they do.” Currie suggests reaching
out to young chefs in cooking school, restaurant apprentices and chefs who are willing to try new things.
Sage advice
• A farm whose production volume is less than $100,000 a year doesn’t need a distributor.
• Don’t become dependent on one buyer because the restaurant business can change quickly.
• Always check how much the chef is using. • Pick a chef that loves your product. • Be at farmers markets. • Get listed in the BC Specialty Food Directory. • Join the BC Chef’s Table Society, whose values include supporting local producers and protecting food security.
Currie says growing a
trusted relationship is key. Chefs look for eight things – pricing, menu price, quality, quantity, availability, transportation, reliability and safety.
Among the elements farmers bring to a relationship are an ability to accurately predict a farm’s production, producing year-round products or varieties that go from season to season and being consistent in quality and delivery. CanadaGAP certification is essential for insurance. A grower who gives chefs ideas about how to use produce will also make friends quickly.
“Once you have a
relationship established then you can offer new products,” says Currie. Currie says great farmer-
chef relationships promote both sides. This could be on social media, on menus, signage, doing events together or co-branding. With a little work, he found and listed 70 farm-to-table restaurants in BC. “The family story that you
have to share is your best marketing,” says Currie. “Brad Bellman from Bellman Specialty Produce says the only farmers who have secrets are the ones that don’t have a business plan.”
Quality Pre Owned Equipment USED EQUIPMENT
N/H FP230 27P GRASS HEAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000 N/H 790 W/ GRASS HEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,500 CLAAS VOLTO 75T 6 BASKET TEDDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,250 CLAAS VOLTO 1050 8 BASKET TEDDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500 FELLA TS1502 2012, HAY RAKE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000 MF 1372T 2008, 13FT DISCBINE, METAL ROLLERS. . . . . . . . . . 22,000 HAGEDOORN 275 MANURE SPREADER, HYDRA-PUSH . . . . . . . . 19,950 CLAAS 255 ROTOCUT ROUND BALER W/WRAPPER. . . . . . . . . . . 46,250 USED TRACTORS
FORD 3000 GAS, LDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,995 N/H TN90F 1998, 7,600 HRS, CAB, MFWD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,500 CASE MAGNUM 225 CVT NEW ALO LOADER . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170,000 DEUTZ TTV 6130.4 2014, 1,760 HRS, LDR, FRONT 3PT/PTO . . . 99,500 DEUTZ K110 2,200 HRS, CAB, LDR, MFWD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,000 DEUTZ AGROPLUS 2,500 HRS, ROPS, LDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,000 JD 2750 CAB, MFWD, LOADER, 9,000HRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,000 NEW INVENTORY:
KUBOTA RAKES • TEDDERS • MOWERS • POWER HARROWS JBS VMEC1636 VERT. SPREADER • SAWDUST & SAND THROWERS KUBOTA K-HAUL TRAILERS NOW IN STOCK CONSTRUCTION
1-866-820-7603 |
BAUMALIGHT.COM Dale Howe 403-462-1975 |
dale@baumalight.com
MFG A VARIETY OF ATTACHMENTS: BRUSH MULCHERS
BOOM MOWERS | STUMP GRINDERS | TREE SAWS & SHEARS TREE SPADES | ROTARY BRUSH CUTTERS | AUGER DRIVES TRENCHERS | DRAINAGE PLOWS | PTO GENERATORS TREE PULLERS | FELLER BUNCHERS
EXCAVATOR ADAPTERS | SCREW SPLITTERS
KUB KX71 2006, ROPS, THUMB, RUBBER, 2 BKTS, 4,000HRS . . 26,500 KUB KX033-4 2018, CAB, THUMB, RUBBER, 3 BKTS, 375HRS. . 53,000 CAT 305-ECR 2015, HYD THUMB, 2 BUCKETS, 1,760 HRS . . . . 54,875
ISLAND TRACTOR & SUPPLY LTD. DUNCAN 1-888-795-1755 NORTH ISLAND TRACTOR COURTENAY 1-866-501-0801
www.islandtractors.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
