MANITOU BEACH, Sask. – Former Saskatchewan agriculture minister Eric
Upshall says it is more fun to be in retail serving the public, than in
politics.
“This is Grand Central Station in terms of the people here,” he said of
Manitou Beach Store, which he officially opened June 22.
While the convenience store and gas station had existed under another
owner, Upshall has some different products in the freezers and on the
shelves.
“We put in a Saskatchewan aisle.”
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That theme was the result of a change in Upshall’s Zelma area farm.
Four years ago he went out of straight grain, bought some buffalo and
planted alfalfa fields, plus 2,000 saskatoon berry bushes and 1,000
apple trees. He also added five acres of vegetables this year.
Originally he thought of running a U-pick operation, but when the store
owner died suddenly this year, Upshall changed his sales venue.
The store sells bison meat and products, saskatoon berry jams and
sauces, specialty mustards, ciders, soaps, emu oil products, Manitou
Lake salts and books by provincial authors. When the fruit and
vegetables are ready, he’ll sell them at the store.
He also sells other farmers’ products because he is a believer in
boosting rural business and selling local food close to home.
Upshall said only one other bison rancher in the province has a
storefront like he does to sell the meat, although several offer it at
the farmgate or at farmer’s markets. He said while the bison industry
has been strong on promotion, it is weak on marketing. People don’t
know where to buy the meat.
In the first three weeks Upshall’s store sold 225 kilograms of bison
meat. If that sales rate continues, he anticipates slaughtering one
bison a month through the summer from his herd of 40. He uses a nearby
meat processor at Drake to kill, process and package his bison. Upshall
said once people try buffalo, they like it.
Part of the enticement came on opening day when the store had a special
promotion, cooking and selling 750 bison burgers.
While that proved a success, Upshall said he won’t be holding regular
hot food sales because “we came into the beach not to compete against
other business, but to add to them.” Two restaurants at the resort town
already sell bison on their menus.
The beach brings in tourists summer and winter, but one big group of
customers is seniors and others interested in the lake’s reputed
healing waters.
Another benefit of the store’s central Saskatchewan location is that 45
percent of the province’s population is within 11/2 hours drive, said
Upshall.
However Uphall’s store isn’t relying on sales of local food. Gas and
lottery sales bring 40 percent of the store’s revenue, with the rest
from groceries and video rentals.
Another draw this summer is the 16-tub ice cream cooler. With so many
choices, the favourite flavour is not a pedestrian vanilla, but Rollo
candy.
