Continued GROWTH

摘要

From humble beginnings in a Canadian town of 250 people, Drake Meats is poised to continue its growth across Canada and is on the cusp of launching its meat products in the international marketplace. With its roots dating back to 1949 as a co-op local frozen food locker and custom processing shop, the facility was bought by Mennonite farmer Norm Ediger in 1958 in the community of Drake, Saskatchewan. The fledgling enterprise experienced a major setback when a gas fire burned the entire plant in 1982. Norm's son Kelly Ediger, who spent time at the facility since the age of 2 to be with his parents and grandparents, reflected on how the family dealt with that disaster. "We lost it all but took on a new mandate to rebuild Drake Meats and expand our lineup of craft recipes beyond our small town," Kelly Ediger said. "I had just bought the business from my father two years earlier. We replaced the old 4,000-square-foot facility with one 2,000 square feet larger. It was a year and a half to construct the new building. We had only eight employees. Through our new product lines, reliance on quality and our good name, we set about taking our meats to other small towns, then into larger cities.