Peggy Revell
A new meat processing plant in Emo is aiming to put local beef on store shelves and menus across the district.
Located at 56 Front St. in Emo (the old post office), Rainy River Meats Inc. is being established due to the demand for increased processing capacity to distribute more local meat products, explained Steve Loshaw, one of the co-owners and local investors who have started up the business.
While there are other local processing facilities, Rainy River Meats Inc. is a “category one” licensed premise by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, noted Loshaw, which allows them to sell wholesale to retailers, tourist camps and restaurants, and “third parties.”
“We’re hoping to provide an alternative marketing opportunity for producers to finish products for the retail market as opposed to shipping them out of the district,” he remarked.
Otherwise, many local producers will raise a younger animal to a point, then sell it to Western Canada, Manitoba, down east, or elsewhere—where someone else would do the finishing on it so it will be ready for slaughter before going into the retail market.
“Major renovations,” including adding a cooler and freezer, have been done at the new Emo facility, said Loshaw.
The goal is to be able to process 10 beef a week, with pork also to be processed.
Once up and running, the plant will be looking to hire a minimum of two full-time and some part-time employees, he added.
“It’s going to be fantastic—we’ve been working at it for a long time,” echoed co-owner Marg Irvine.
“[We’re] just looking forward to the challenge and being able to keep more beef within the district, and get people eating local,” she enthused.
Having local beef more readily available also is something Deb Zimmerman, another co-owner, is looking forward to, along with supporting local farmers and keeping revenue in the district.
“We definitely see that people want [local food], it’s the way of the future,” she reasoned.
“Everybody wants everything local—from vegetables straight through to their meat.
“So that’s our goal to supply as much as we can,” Zimmerman said, also encouraging district residents to support locally-produced food.
Loshaw said the processing plant has three primary objectives, with the first being wholesale products.
“The reason for the wholesale is to get the local products distributed further in the region,” he explained, noting most retailers no longer are equipped with the rail system to hang beef and buy products that are broken down into primal cuts.
“A primal would be like a hip of beef that you’d cut a number of roasts off, or you would take a loin of beef and you would cut a dozen steaks off it, or something like that—and that’s the way the retailers are getting their product now,” Loshaw noted.
If a retailer is selling a lot of steaks, they would buy perhaps a dozen loins for the week, cut them up, and sell the steaks.
Or if they’re looking to sell a number of roasts, they might buy a number of larger primals of the hindquarter.
This allows the retailers to be more specific in what they’re purchasing, instead of buying half or a whole animal and having to use up the rest of the cuts.
“So our goal is to be able to provide primal cuts, but of local products,” he said, adding that they’re hoping that more retail outlets will then take advantage of the local product.
The second objective of the plant is to do custom-cut and wrap, said Loshaw.
“That would appeal to producers who are selling their beef to you,” he reasoned. “You’re going to buy half-a-beef from somebody, so you’ll need to have it cut and wrapped some place, so it would be custom-cut and wrapped.
They’re already taking orders for custom-cut and wrap.
Thirdly, Loshaw said the new plant eventually will be doing some retail selling out of the location, as well.
