#MarketMonday – Stapleton Sausage Co.

Stapleton Sausage Co. is committed to making a quality product; we do this by hand-making our sausages in a local facility using only the highest quality, natural ingredients that contain no artificial preservatives. Our sausages are gluten free and low in sodium and fat (lean cuts of meat only from local meat sources).

All about Lorne, in his own words:

In 1963, I got a job as an apprentice meat cutter at Sobeys in Atlantic Canada. At the time, I didn’t realize it marked the beginning of a long career in the retail meat industry and eventually lead me to the west coast of this great land.

Growing up in rural Cape Breton (just outside of Sydney) in a large family, impacted me with many wonderful memories and helped shape me for my life journey in the food industry.

My introduction to life was without the conveniences of electricity, running water, telephone, or automobiles. As a result, typical chores for me and my brothers included cutting firewood to stay warm, bailing and hauling water from the well, and shoveling a path through the snow to the outhouse. When not in school, we helped our father cut timbers for the coal mines which was his main source of income at the time. This job involved learning to use axes, buck saws, as well as working with horses to haul the timbers out of the woods. My brothers and I developed into strong, healthy boys and gained a reputation for being hard workers. I don’t remember complaining about having to work hard as a boy. We just accepted this as a way of life and everyone had to do their part.

My father was a great outdoors man and hunter. This meant we enjoyed wild game such as deer, rabbit, duck, partridge and fish from the nearby brooks and lakes. Seafood from the Atlantic was always a treat, especially a lobster feast. My favorite winter meal was wild rabbit stew, but a crock of homemade beans with tea biscuits on Saturdays was right up there with my favorites as well.

In the summer, we enjoyed a variety of wild berries, and my favorite was my mother’s blueberry pie; it was the best ever. My wonderful, unassuming mother served us incredible and hearty meals. As a boy, I considered most of our meals to be a poor man’s diet, because we couldn’t afford anything else. In retrospect, the natural foods we enjoyed, from the land and waters that we took for granted, are commonly sought after foods in society today and have contributed to my appreciation for fine, quality foods.

At the age of 16, while in high school, I got a part-time job at the Isle Royal Hotel in Sydney as a busboy in the dining room. This was quite a prestigious place in the city where anyone of any importance would stay. The dining room, which overlooked the Sydney harbor, was a popular place for tourists and local, affluent professionals and business people. My job was to carry food trays from the kitchen to the dining room or the banquet room. I served extraordinary meals prepared by professional chefs and experienced fine dining at its best. Rich, white linen tablecloths, silver cutlery, high quality embroidered carpets, and a first-class atmosphere really made an impression on me, especially considering my status in society. This was an amazing experience and would have a long-lasting effect on me in terms of incorporating high standards of quality and moving forward with my career in the food industry.

In April of 1965, after two years of apprentice meat cutting, I got the urge to travel, so “go west young man, go west” is what I did, all the way to Vancouver, BC. This journey was exciting and somewhat adventurous; I bought a $49 rail ticket at CN Rail and after four days and five long nights, I arrived at the CN Rail station at Main and Terminal in Vancouver.

It was a warm, sunny day (a great introduction to Vancouver) and I was bursting with confidence and optimism so immediately set out to find a job (since I had very little money in my pocket). Dressed in a suit and tie, somewhat nervous and practicing my little speech, I entered a big supermarket. After a brief conversation with the manager, he told me to start work the following day, and so my career in the retail meat market industry resumed; this time on the west coast.

After 7 years of working in the retail food industry for large food stores and gaining more valuable experience in marketing and merchandising, a new opportunity arose. In 1970, I was given the chance to own and operate my own retail meat market. This exciting time of independence allowed me to explore my management and entrepreneurial skills. For the next 41 years, I would take on the responsibilities and risks of owning and managing stores and employees.

During the years of 1967 to 1977, my wife and I were blessed with four amazing children: three boys and one “lady” (as the doctor called our daughter upon delivery). Over the years, my family has always been supportive and helpful in various roles of running the business and continue to be so today. In 2011, I retired from the retail meat market business but was not quite ready to be “put out to pasture.”

A new business was launched when I decided to introduce my quality, handmade sausages to the local farmers markets under the brand name of Chefs Natural Sausage. This decision caused a new business to evolve and flourish for my family and me. In addition, it introduced us to a community of people who care about where their foods are sourced and produced.

We grill, serve samples, and market our locally made sausages at various Greater Vancouver Farmers Markets. This practical method of introducing our sausages to the marketplace creates important dialogue with our customers and their children. Our customers’ encouraging comments and suggestions are an inspiration for us to continue making a high quality product.

With more family members becoming involved in the business (and after receiving feedback from others), we decided to change our name from “Chefs Natural Sausage” to “Stapleton Sausage Co.” We are excited about our new family name and brand and are looking forward to new and exciting opportunities for our business!