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2 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Nevombor 16, 199*
Business Beat
Seaforth Creame
BY GREGOR CAMPBELL
Expositor Staff
You won't find any cream there
anymore - but business is booming
at Seaforth Creamery Co. Ltd. at
--151 Main St. S.
Salad dressing is leading the
charge.
The local creamery is now
Canada's largest private salad dres-
sing maker, says Operations
Manager Gerry Cooper. -
"We've doubled our production in
salad dressing in the last couple of
years and we anticipate doing the
same in the next couple," he adds.
"We are taking business away from
U.S. companies in this market."
To do so the Seaforth Creamery
has undergone some major
upgrading in the past year. It has
expanded by 4,500 sq. ft. its
laboratory and research and
development facilities, to stay
abreast of the business in fat-free
products, the buzz word in the
industry these days. It has likewise
added a 6,000 sq. ft. addition, built
by Harold Stnith Construction, to
the building at the corner of Main
and Railway Streets, which the
company is now using as a
warehouse but soon plans to con-
vert to production.
Director of Production Dale Wick
says the local company, which is
the largest industrial concern in
Seaforth, has been investing heavily
in new equipment the last two
years, spending hundreds of $1,000
on new equipment, and the growth
has just begun.
The company added.24,000 sq. ft.
of adjacent property it bought from
the railroad in 1992 where future
expansion could occur.
But where's the cream?
Gone the way of the dodo and the
Seaforth Creamery has had to
change with the times and market
to first survive then thrive in r
small rural community. The
business was first established in
1913 in its present location by a
cheesemaker called Charlie Barber
who came to town from Oxford
county. There were 330 creameries
in this province back then,
dwindling to less than 100 in 1973,
with far fewer than even that now
20 years later.
The newly established local
creamery soon took the bulk of the
business away from the old butter
churns on the family farm, and
World War I which followed in
short order kept demand for the
creamery's products high. •
Back then the problem of
refrigeration was solved by ice cut
from the Egmondville dam that was
stored in an ice house at the
creamery. Business thrived, by 1918
the Seaforth Creamery was
producing 650,000 lbs. of butter.
But you will find nary a hint of
cream or butter or any dairy
products at the Seaforth Creamery
today. Production director Wick
says the raw materials the company
uses are soybeans, canola, corn oil
and that son of thing, primarily
bought around Windsor. Margarine
is still a big part of the local
creamery's production. It too is a
sign of changing times. Oleomar-
garine was introduced as a tem-
porary measure to serve wartime
demand in the midst of butter
shortages, but production was soon
once again banned until after World
War II when it was once again
made legal. Margarine is still a
mainstay of the local company's
production.
Operations manager Cooper has
been with the Seaforth Creamery
longer than anybody, for 25 years,
and he says fast and furious change
has continued since the Barr family
of Oakville bought the company off
Les Siler in 1981. The Barrs
brought a "very personalized" style
of ownership, he adds. Ed Barr now
holds the title of former President.
Son Mark is now running the show.
major industry.
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DIITCHELL, ON T.
AL i, D ' im ' as , an emp • yee at t e Seaforth reamery, • • lusts t s and that on t : recently
upgraded salad dressing line at the local company. The line can put out about 125 bottles a minute and
salad dressing production has doubled in the last two years, with expectations that it will double again
in the next two.
FAR CRY FROM OLD DAYS - The Seaforth Creamery still
.,lands on the corner of Main and Railway streets where the
business was established in 1913 but you would hardly recognize
the place these days and you won't find any cream there
anymore.
Both are committed to overcoming
the obstacles faced by any produc-
tion concern from a small rural area
competing successfully for national
and international markets.
When ownership of the Seaforth
Creamery changed hands in 1981
the business employed 12 people
and put out about 3 million pounds
of product. By comparison, today,
13 years later, the company
employs 45 on site all year and puts
out approximately 25 million
pounds of product. An additional 20
employees are usually added during
the firm's busy season, the first half
of the business year.
Mr. Cooper says both Barrs know
the first names of all the local
employees and don't feel out of
place on the shop floor.
Except for specialized functions
the company hires from this area
and tries to promote from within, at
the same time trying to encourage
the personal betterment of its staff
by offering tuitions and that sort of
thing. The company has also always
supported community sports. Many
area teams have, and continue to
sport the Seafoith Creamery name
on their jerseys in local com-
petitions.
The loadin : docks off Railway St.
PERSONALIZED OWNERSHIP - Since the Barr family of Oakville
bought the Seaforth Creamery in 1981 business has grown and
grown. In 1981 the local company, Seaforth's largest industrial
concern, has grown from 12 to 45 employees and production has
risen from 3 million lbs. of product per year to 25 million lbs. of
product.
OLD STANDBY - The margarine line at the local creamery still
accounts for a major portion of production. Elizabeth Steele is the
employee on the left side of the picture. That's Brian Nigro to the
right.
WiDE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS - Dale Wick, Director of Production, and Gerry Cooper, Operations
Manager who has been with the Seaforth Creamery for 25 years now, stand beside a display case
holding some of the products from the local plant, which has adapted since its beginnings and now is
competing successfully in North American markets.
LAB UPGRADE - Chris Caims
works in the lab at the local
crearnery, which along with the
R&D department now employs
six people.
used to challenge the driving skills
of even the most talented truckers,
as many local observers in the not
so distant past will remember.
There was about a dime's width of
clearance on either side of the big
trucks. But all that has passed too.
Those loading docks have been
redesigned and rebuilt, and the
Seaforth Creamery now has four
big tractor trailer rigs on the go
almost 24 hours of the day during
the summer.
WANTED
Concerned Individuals
who represent the
diverse Interests of
Huron County
10 STEPS TO COMMUNITY
ACTION is an instructional
program for rural people
with a desire to:
DEVELOP basic leadership and people management skills;
WORK with other local leaders;
IDENTIFY and understand local community issues;
BUILD a network for community leadership action
10 STEPS TO COMMUNITY ACTION begins the evening of
Wednesday, January 1 lth and continues every other Wednes-
day evening until the end of April. A weekend retreat and one
full day session are also included.
10 STEPS TO COMMUNITY ACTION provides an excellent oppor-
tunity for personal and professional growth, increasing your
understanding of rural community issues, and an opportunity to
practice new management and leadership skills.
To enjoy the benefits of 10 STEPS TO COMMUNITY ACTION
contact: Ruth Knight, 10 Steps Program Co-ordinator c/o Huron
Business Centre ,Box 1120, Seaforth, ON NOK 1 WO (519)367-5531
or 1-800-268-2590 OR Paul Nichol, Advisory Chair (519) 527-0305
or 1-800-268-2590 by December l , 1994 for applications and
more information.
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• Wash, Wax & interiors
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