Downtown Saskatoon will connect with local food producers when a new European style marketplace opens this spring.
Co-owner Melanie Boldt said the Souleio grocery “boutique” will bring together chefs, bakers and farmers to showcase good food in a heritage building.
“We’re supporting local and trying to re-create the connection between you and the source of your food,” she said.
It will help customers have a greater knowledge of the food, how it’s grown and where it comes from, said Boldt, who is no stranger to introducing novel food marketing concepts to the region.
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With her husband, Kevin, she created Pine View Farms at Osler, just north of Saskatoon, which markets their own poultry as well as meat produced by partners through an on-farm store, other stores, restaurants and on-line.
Souleio is a new collaboration between the Boldts and Remi and Janis Cousyn of Calories restaurant in Saskatoon.
The owners say Souleio, which means sun in the French Provençale language, represents life’s bounty.
The 3,000 sq. foot space will offer a host of sustainably grown local food products in addition to some imported goods.
Boldt hopes to create the “art of the table” and food as the centre of gatherings.
“Food is more than fuel, it gives you pleasure,” she said.
Saskatoon’s population is growing and more people are living downtown.
People are seeking locally produced foods and a novel shopping experience.
“The world climate is changing and people are re-evaluating what they do and where they spend their money,” she said.
“They spend on what fits their values and philosophy,”
Boldt expects the venture will have wide appeal but is targeting downtown residents who have been without a nearby grocery store since 2004.
For Pine View Farms, it will offer its customers another way to buy their chickens without having to drive to Osler. The company also sells pork, lamb and beef products.
Souleio will include a bakery, deli, meat, cheese, preserves, wines and spirits, with another 3,200 sq. feet accommodating a production bakery and kitchen in the lower level.
Complete meals can be pre-ordered and picked up through a curbside valet service. It will also feature a 40-seat quick service restaurant, private dining and catering.
For general manager Edyta Sieminska, the focus will be on providing products whose growers have put a lot attention into producing them.
“The goal is to sell really good food,” she said.
She said it will be like the cornerstore she grew up shopping at as a child in Poland.
“I never saw a supermarket until I came to Canada,” Sieminska said.
The store will open six days each week.
The City of Saskatoon, in an effort to attract a grocery store downtown, granted a five-year tax abatement to Souleio that is expected to save the owners $34,000.
