INNISFAIL, Alta. – An aggressive marketing plan through Sunterra Meats is placing more Canadian lamb in the retail market and high-end restaurants.
It has secured large customers like Western Canada Safeways, Sobey’s in Ontario, Calgary Co-op, Thrifty’s on Vancouver Island and Sunterra Food Markets.
Retailers have been sympathetic to the border closure problem but may shy away from domestic product if supply and quality are inconsistent.
“All retailers are aware of the BSE issue, but that doesn’t wash in the long term,” said Miles Kliner, general manager of Sunterra Meats, Western Canada’s only federally inspected lamb plant.
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Many of the larger chains relied almost entirely on imported product and Sunterra is determined to change that with a program to displace lamb from New Zealand and Australia.
“We want to prove to customers there is a difference between Canadian grain-fed lamb and imported frozen product,” Kliner said.
The clincher is finding a year round supply of fresh Canadian lamb. Mid March to early June is the most difficult period to find domestic product.
With a new premium pricing scheme and contracts, the company hopes producers will alter lambing time or feed lambs longer to stretch out the season.
Sunterra has found if the product is available, Canadians will buy it. The packer has increased year over year slaughter rates in the last three years.
