Dipping a pretzel or cracker into a jar of mustard is a simple but effective way for two entrepreneurs to provide a taste of Saskatchewan to consumers.
Gravelbourg Mustard owners Carlien Brouwer and Debe Aussant have created three kinds of table mustard: French, German and cranberry.
The business idea grew from Mustard Capital Inc., a mustard milling plant that began operating in Gravelbourg in 2007.
Brouwer, who is involved with Gravelbourg’s Touch of Europe campaign, said the community was looking to link itself to the vast amounts of mustard grown in the southwestern corner of the province.
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“Saskatchewan grows the most mustard, but it’s not labelled as coming from Saskatchewan,” she said.
The two women set out to change that by launching a line of table mustard using raw ingredients bought from Mustard Capital.
Brouwer said the trend of producing and eating local food fit with their products.
The women rely on trade shows and their website at www.gravelbourgmustard.ca to promote their products, which are available in Gravelbourg businesses and distributed with other Saskatchewan-made products throughout the province.
They received encouragement and expertise from Mustard Capital and the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre before processing their mustards in a commercial kitchen in town.
Their families have also supported the enterprise, developing labels and designing the website, with extra help hired when needed.
Gravelbourg economic development officer Shelley Hirstwood said the mustard plant has put her town on the map and spawned the creation of a specialized mustard seed cleaning plant.
“It helps entrepreneurs but also farmers get a good price,” she said, noting how mustard that once travelled to Ontario can now be processed locally.
In the future, she hopes to see a mustard museum and mustard emporium, which could sell a line of mustard-based products, such as oil, soap and table mustard.
“We grow most of the mustard in our region, why not capitalize on it?” Hirstwood said.
She said the mustard theme is also a good fit with the town’s Touch of Europe campaign and its promotion of local culture, heritage and food.
Tom Halpenny, chief executive officer of Mustard Capital, said the plant was the result of a regional economic development plan that focused on mustard’s potential.
He said the business name and location are directly related to branding the area in mustard.
“We’re doing our work as a company and also encouraging others to do some of this work as well,” he said, citing future opportunities in biodiesel, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.
Halpenny said the number of mustard growers on contract with the plant has steadily grown, with the majority in Saskatchewan and a few in Alberta. Most crops are grown in brown and dark brown soil zones, he added.
Farmers comprise half the shareholders in the company, which sells to a dozen countries.
