The Made in Manitoba Expo is going on at this time within the MNP Constructing on the island in Portage la Prairie.
Mary Buhler is with Poochie Paws Bakery being highlighted there. The enterprise is simply coming as much as their one-year anniversary subsequent month.
“Quite a lot of our substances are homegrown,” says Buhler. “For example, we develop our personal apples and I make my very own applesauce because the substances in a few of our our treats. Our oats come from the Manitoba space.”
They’re based mostly simply outdoors Portage, and she or he notes the Expo permits them to showcase their merchandise and permit them to work together with different entrepreneurs. Buhler says she’s excited to see plenty of faces put up COVID.
Mary BuhlerPercy and Beverly Phillips personal the Prairie Quinoa. They’re additionally going to be there. He notes they started trials to see if quinoa would right here again in 2012.
“We knew it might develop as a result of there have been individuals cultivating it in Saskatchewan, and it had been cultivated in small acres. However getting a maintain of seed was very tough and I bought my fingers on one pound of seed to begin with after which simply and went from there,” says Phillips. “We have now three merchandise. One is clearly quinoa grown in Manitoba. Most of it was grown both within the MacGregor and the Notre Dame space. Quinoa does not should be rinsed earlier than you prepare dinner it, like a lot of the imported stuff. It may be cooked like rice and it stays distinct when it is cooked. It does not get delicate and mushy.”
He notes his second product is operated out of his son-in-law’s Farm close to Bagot.
“They’re the one farm within the province that each cultivates hemp and likewise processes hemp on their farm. They’re vertically built-in,” provides Phillips. “They domesticate hemp, they develop it, they shell it on their farm. The third one is a product that we have give you moderately lately referred to as Assiniboia River Scorching Cereal. It is a mixture of quinoa metal lower oats and flax from prairie flax.”
Phillips says you should buy the quinoa and the new cereal at Homestead Co-op. He provides he is wanting ahead to exposing his merchandise and doing their greatest to promote some and painting them in addition to they’ll. He says he additionally needs to discover, including probably the most fascinating half are clients.
Kory Jonasson is right here at this time together with his household operation JE Icelandics, they usually have Icelandic Sheep from which they make their merchandise.
They make hand cream and pores and skin cream. He says additionally they make yarn and mitts from tanned hides.
“We have now tanned hides with the wool nonetheless on, so we use just about every thing we will off the sheep,” says Jonasson.
He provides publicity is the important thing factor about these expos. Jonasson says they’re making an attempt to get again to their routine after COVID slowed issues down.
The final time they had been at an Expo, they loved speaking to individuals, noting that is the massive factor. Seeing individuals excited by your product makes all of it worthwhile.
Philip Ronald is from River Bend Orchards in Portage and it is their fist time on the Expo. They produce fruit and berries and make pies, jams and toppings.
“We’re producing plenty of fruit, which is the uncooked materials,” says Ronald. “However with out the worth added merchandise, there’s simply no method to cope with that quantity of fruits. You’ll be able to solely promote a lot contemporary and a lot frozen. So, we want that secondary processing that turns our berries into pies, jams and toppings, and the like. So, the Expo is essential to us. “
Ronald says their merchandise style nice however are additionally fairly wholesome. He encourages you to come back to the Expo.
“You are going to come throughout some fascinating merchandise. You’re additionally supporting the native economic system,” notes Ronald. “Many of those merchandise hint again to farms which might be simply outdoors your door. It is a really feel good story for Manitoba.”