Shaunavon Pulse Producers Develop Lentil-Based Lasagne

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

The road to value-added agriculture is strewn with both rewards and hurdles. No one knows that better than Shaunavon grain producers Vicky and David Krause. They created Pulse Wise Foods to help them make the transition from producer to processor, and today they market their very own lentil and feta lasagne through the Saskatchewan Made stores in Regina and Saskatoon.

“We have a young family and a full future ahead of us,” says David Krause. “We were looking at the grain industry—we knew something had to change. We grew lentils. At a Pulse Days meeting in Saskatoon a few years ago, we heard an agricultural economics professor say that the pulse industry would overbuild the cleaning and processing facilities, and that there would be some losers, but the future after that would be in adding value to products above and beyond simply bagging and shipping."

So that is what they decided to do. With help from the Saskatchewan Food Processors Association (SFPA) and the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre in Saskatoon, the Krauses developed their product, designed the packaging and labelling, and brought it to market.

Both members of this entrepreneurial couple were born and raised in a traditional grain farming environment.

“Looking back from now,” Krause reflects, “we faced a lot of challenges. First, we really didn’t understand business and we didn’t understand food processing. So we had to learn a lot. We tried to market the product, as well as process it, and, at the same time, we were trying to raise two young kids—we have been tugging away at this for five or six years now.

“We have learned a lot about marketing and business. You hear about the successes, and about the people with the best gadget in the world, but who, for some reason, just can't get it off the ground. The key is marketing. It's neither an art nor a science, but it is a combination of both. You have to be lucky as well.”

One of the challenges Pulse Wise Foods is working on right now is how to produce their product more efficiently, according to Krause.

“Our product is labour-intensive to make and, therefore, costly. Finding the right package to put it in is another major issue. We are now looking to streamline production, for it is a handmade product at the moment. Because it is so unique, you are developing a whole new grocery category as you go. Our lasagne is meatless, using lentil as the protein.”

Krause feels it is only fitting that Saskatchewan producers should be able to capitalize on value-added lentil products, since the province is a world leader in lentil production. Canadians do not eat a lot of lentils, but, he notes, Pulse Canada is in the midst of researching and publicizing the health benefits of lentils and other pulses.

“In other parts of the world, people eat pulses on a daily basis. Think about it: no cholesterol, low in fat, prevention of heart disease and diabetes. Isn’t it the right food for us? Our product is a heat-and-serve microwaveable meal; quite convenient."

Krause believes the secret of being successful is to never give up; to have passion; to love what you are doing.

"Never get down on yourself," he says, "but don’t blame anybody else for your failures. It is all up to you. It is tough. We have cried, but we have laughed, too. Somebody said to me: when you are down and out and on the floor, when you are down there, pick something up. You might as well learn something while you are down there.”

The Krause family has learned much in the process of building their company.

“The food business is very highly controlled," he says. "Finding a distributor and a retailer that wants you is all about consumer demand. That is what they want. They don’t want to take something off their shelf that is making them money to put your product on."

Krause is trying to devise a way to educate consumers about lentils. Through market research, he has learned that consumers want convenience and they want wellness. They want food that will give them health benefits without sacrificing taste.

"They want something that tastes good," he says. "Otherwise, people won’t eat it. That is number one.”

As Pulse Wise Foods grows to tap into the demand for healthier foods, the Krause family will keep on growing as entrepreneurs also, learning how to make the best out of the resources at their disposal, while remaining stewards of valuable agricultural resources back at home in Shaunavon.

David Krause
Pulse Wise Foods
Shaunavon, Saskatchewan
(306) 297-6394