Some might regard Vince Neiser as a fuss-budget, a nit-picker, a clean freak.
But pickiness is part of his job at the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc.
He begins every morning by walking through the Peterson Building on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon, checking that the big pots in the commercial kitchen are immaculate, that the floor in the test kitchen is scrubbed and that the white lab coats, rubber boots and hair nets are ready for staff and clients for the day.
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As operations manager of the 10,000 sq. foot centre, he ensures the processing facilities are ready, the equipment is running, the food entrepreneurs have time scheduled and most of all, that cleanliness prevails.
The food centre is where Saskatchewan entrepreneurs come to test an idea, work out the recipe for their jam, sauce or sausage and cook it in batches to see if they’re ready for the retail market.
“It’s like trying to run a dozen different companies,” Neiser said.
He is the detail guy at the food centre, which opened in 1997. The centre and its four-year-old pilot plant are certified for the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points safety system and certified to produce organic products, said communications director Carmen Ly.
There is also an inspector on site from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to check the processes and food items to ensure they meet export standards.
Neiser said meat is the main food handled at the centre. While he has had several requests lately from specialty livestock producers, the centre’s ability to accommodate them is limited by its capacity and the problems involved in slaughtering exotic animals at a federally regulated plant.
“We can make 2,000 kilograms of sausage in a day but we can only cook 400 of it. We’ve got a big grinder, big stuffer but only have a single truck smokehouse.”
On this day, the pilot plant is making a batch of Osticks, a jerky-like meat snack made from ostrich meat, for Clay Ogilvie of Ardath, Sask.
Bison pemmican is another of the newest meat products that the food centre is trying, said centre president Dan Prefontaine. He hopes it can be as successful as the lamb kabobs and dry ribs the centre refined for other clients.
Prefontaine said the centre is also anticipating success with organic and functional food.
“People want to get away from pill taking and eat healthy foods.”
Breaking down food into components such as fibre and beta glucan and selling them to processors is also a possibility, he said.
“We’re such big growers of commodities in this province. We grow it, but what good things can we take out of it and put into a Swanson dinner?”
Each prairie province has a food centre, but Prefontaine said there is no competition. If an Alberta resident comes to the Saskatoon centre with an idea, he suggests the producer talk with the Alberta site first. In fact, the centres in Leduc, Alta., Saskatoon and Portage la Prairie, Man., help each other by specializing and avoiding duplication of skills and expensive machinery.
The nonprofit centre is funded by interest earned from $8.5 million initially contributed by the Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation Fund. However, Prefontaine said half of the centre’s $1.25 million operating budget in 2004 came from fees for service, compared to most Canadian food centres where fees make up only a quarter of the budget.
Fees are based on how much advice and work the Saskatoon centre provides for its clients, many of whom are rural and husband and wife teams. Last year the food centre dealt with 2,700 inquiries and consultations, a 10 percent increase from 2003. It also launched 26 products that were new to the market.
The centre’s first clients, Bob and Premala Mutukistna, still use it to develop their line of chutneys, curries and sauces. Bob said they sell most of their products in Saskatchewan through the Co-op, the Bay, Nutters and various specialty stores.
“We’ve been at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market for 24 years,” he said. “We used to make samosas and chili bites. To go with those we had sauces. People started asking for those.”
To develop their first product, a cilantro hot sauce, they turned to the food centre and its commercial kitchen. They are now developing an 11th product for their line that contains no additives, no salt and no sugar, with the exception of the two chutneys.
Premala said she uses recipes from her mother, grandmother and mother-in-law to develop their “curry in a hurry” food. They used to hand out recipes explaining how to use their products but she said there is more acceptance and appreciation of Indian-inspired food now.
A client who comes to the food centre may have a recipe, an idea or just a raw ingredient. The centre’s staff can brainstorm an idea for him or help develop an action plan, including cooking, labelling and commercialization.
“We are a consultant but we won’t do the work for them,” Ly said.
About half of the food centre’s clients graduate to the Saskatchewan Food Processors Association, whose office is beside the centre. The association can link clients with the retail world by helping them attend trade shows, providing public exposure through its Sask-Made Marketplace stores and educating them in business skills.
Last October, the 15-year-old association made a big move by opening stores to sell food produced by its 106 processing members. In the eight months since, the Marketplace venture sold $271,500 worth of Saskatchewan-branded items. Split stores in which retailers offer some Saskatchewan branded products are also opening and the items are proving popular in the province’s centennial year.
The association also participates in a premiere food show held in Saskatoon in September that focuses on wine and gourmet food.
Glen Olson, the association’s marketing and distribution manager, said the goal is to replace imported product with locally made items. However, getting onto a grocery store shelf can be expensive and meeting the volume demand can be difficult. That is why the association developed other venues for its members, particularly the third of them who are hobbyists and don’t want to scale up for export requirements.
The food centre’s other partners are the U of S, which provides research information and technical assistance, and Saskatchewan Agriculture, which provides training, regulatory help and technology troubleshooting.
