They’re not looking to take on the french fry giants. but two west coast farmers are getting ready to enter the fry market locally under the M and M Farming Company Ltd. brand.
Louis MacDonald and Scott Madore, the M and M in the company, started their operation two years ago by planting 27 acres of gold rush russet potatoes.
This year they’ve expanded to 61 acres and next year, they hope to double that.
With fields in Crabbes River, Loch Leven, Highlands and South Branch, they also grow cabbage and turnip and have some tomatoes in a greenhouse.
Last year, the company sold its potatoes in Food Land, Co-op, Coleman’s and some smaller grocery stores on the west coast, as well as to some local restaurants.
Farming as a career is new to both MacDonald, who lives in Noel’s Pond, and Madore, who lives in St. Fintan’s. But they are no strangers to it, having grown up around farms.
“We’re not new to the industry, but we wanted to automate the industry. We want to make it more mechanized,” said MacDonald.
MacDonald worked at the College of the North Atlantic with the agriculture technician program before he retired two years ago. Through that program, he saw enormous potential for farming in the province. And when he retired he was looking for something else to do.
Madore, who’s worked in the woods and firewood business, has trucked dairy feed and run a hunting camp, was also looking for something else.
“Not ready to retire, I guess,” he says.
He and MacDonald, who are both 60, also have an eel business. They figured, why not add farming to the mix?
“If we get 25 more years each out of this, it will be all right,” said Madore with a laugh.
“Louis wanted to get into the potatoes, I wanted to get into the beef. So, we’ll see where it goes.”
This year, their expansion is all about secondary processing and french fries.
MacDonald said the idea came about when they saw that they couldn’t sell all the product they had grown, in particular the culled potatoes. Those are potatoes that can’t be sold with a No. 1 grade because they may have a mark on them or be cracked.
“But 90 per cent of the potato is still good,” said MacDonald.
The farmers wanted to find some way to utilize that.
“If we can add some value to it, well that’s what we’re going to do,” said Madore.
Their first thought was french fries.
“It’s not easy, but it’s not hard,” said MacDonald.
They had to go through the process of getting a food establishment licence and do a trial run of the product to ensure consistency.
Recently, the company received a $120,000 repayable investment from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to help with the endeavour.
MacDonald said the company has received outstanding help from the federal and provincial governments,
“They provide us great opportunities to do what we’re doing.”
The money will help cover the cost of equipment needed for the processing operation — a commercial potato peeler, freezer and cooking facilities — in Black Duck Siding. The new venture will create two new jobs and support four to six more seasonal jobs.
“We’re not going to be the McCains of New Brunswick or the Irvings of Cavendish in P.E.I.,” said Madore. “We’re not looking to get to that stage. We’re just looking at using our cull potatoes to make a product that we can make a few extra dollars (on), and in the process create a couple more jobs.”
So, what will set their product apart from the others? MacDonald said their fries are going to be fresher, they’re local and there’s less distance to travel to market.
“In the same day, we can be in any part of the province.”
“We’re not going to be the McCains of New Brunswick or the Irvings of Cavendish in P.E.I. We’re not looking to get to that stage. We’re just looking at using our cull potatoes to make a product that we can make a few extra dollars (on), and in the process create a couple more jobs.” — Scott Madore
He also sees benefits in food security and safety. Marine Atlantic is a great transportation system, but MacDonald said when there are storms and wind for four days at a time, people see a decline in what’s available on the grocery store shelves.
“We may put a little spin on it that nobody else is doing,” said MacDonald of what people can expect of the fries, but he wouldn’t say what that will be.
M and M french fry products should be available in stores in Port aux Basques, Stephenville and Corner Brook, and in some smaller community grocery stores, this fall. They’ll also be available in some local restaurants.
As for the future, MacDonald said they are looking at expanding what they grow and could try other secondary products liked mixed vegetables down the road.
Madore would also like to use some of the land for beef cattle.
“We’ll see how it goes. I’m not going to start flying before I can run,” said Madore.
Twitter: @WS_ DianeCrocker
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