Sweet Smell of Garlic Means Expansion for Food Processor

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

If you are a garlic fan, you would probably love to meet Dave and Krista McBain. They are the owners of M and M Garlic, an operation which grows and processes vegetables on the McBain farm in the White Fox area near Tobin Lake .

After nearly a decade in business, they are on the edge of a major expansion.

"We started out about nine or 10 years ago, just growing garlic and trying to sell it as a raw vegetable," said Dave McBain, "but we found we were too far away from the markets. So we started processing some powdered and pickled garlic. We've been processing for six years, and now we're doing other vegetables like asparagus, tomatoes, peppers, beans and cucumbers."

The McBains plant about 10 acres in vegetables, including a single acre of garlic that satisfies all of their commercial needs. They also operate a six-quarter grain farm with the assistance of their two children who still live at home.

The M and M Garlic product line includes pickled versions of just about every vegetable imaginable, including garlic, carrots, asparagus and even their own line of salsa. The processed garlic comes in many forms, such as Crunchie Pickled Garlic, Dill Pickled Garlic, Fresh Minced Garlic, Hot and Spicy Pickled Garlic, Sweet and Spicy Garlic, and, for the truly adventurous, a preparation known as The Fire Escape.

"We got a couple of recipes from other people, but we mostly just made them up as we went along," McBain said of their specialty foods. "Right now, our fresh minced garlic is our best seller."

The processing operation is currently located in a 30-foot by 40-foot building which is federally inspected to meet international standards. It includes storage areas for both raw vegetables and finished product, as well as the main cooking area.

"The work is manual. It's like a big family kitchen," McBain said. "The biggest food preparation container will produce about 90 jars of finished product."

Dave and Krista do most of the work themselves, with some assistance from neighbours during the busiest periods.

Finding the market for their pickled goods has not been difficult, but getting the product there is a little more challenging.

"If we go to a trade show with a new product, everybody buys it," McBain stated. "We have people phoning and ordering because they've used it and they want more. One woman buys cases of product to sell at a stand on the Trans Canada Highway. She always sells out."

The products of M and M Garlic are available at about 20 retail locations in Saskatchewan and two in Alberta. They can also be purchased online at the Saskatchewan Made website, http://www.saskmade.ca/.

Success has led to the need for more space, so the McBains have begun construction of a new 50-foot by 80-foot building.

"We bought a garlic peeler and a cracker which cracks the bulbs into cloves," McBain said. "It's a pretty big machine that requires a special power supply, so we needed a larger building. We also needed more covered space to dry the garlic crop."

According to McBain, the biggest challenges as a food processor are the strict labelling and inspection requirements, and getting the product to market. He is proud of the business he and Krista have built through their hard work, and the results have only encouraged the couple to invest in growth for the future.

For more information, contact:
Dave McBain, owner/operator
M and M Garlic
Phone: (306) 276-2518