The Food Issue
2015
Grains
West
44
An estimated 2,500 customers per week come through the
door of Bon Ton Bakery, and an increasing number of them
have concerns about gluten and food sensitivities. Engaging
these potential customers has been illuminating for both
customer and baker.
“Thirty-five per cent of North Americans are either reducing
their consumption or not eating wheat, and wheat producers
are doing nothing to combat it,” said Dinner. “I explain the
different ingredients and characteristics of the products to
customers so they can make informed decisions about their
diet, instead of just following the latest trends.”
Dinner’s search for specialized products and a closer
relationship with his miller brought him to John Schneider, a
sixth-generation farmer who also mills grain.
Gold Forest Grains is a certified organic farm near
Edmonton producing farm-milled organic flour and whole-
grain products from heritage and ancient grains. Schneider
started the milling business in 2009 in an effort to maximize
profits on his family’s 300-acre farm.
“It became obvious very early on that we could not operate
a small farm profitably without some significant value-add on
whatever it was that we produced, and grain was no different,”
Schneider explained. “Milling the grains into healthful flour
products seemed like an obvious choice for us.”
Gold Forest Grains sells through farm-gate sales, farmers
markets, produce home delivery services (The Organic Box
and SPUD), and a select number of retailers in and around
Edmonton. Gold Forest’s flours are sought after by some of
Edmonton’s best bakers. Bon Ton Bakery uses Park Wheat,
a variety developed in Alberta in the 1950s, in its Heritage
Whole Wheat and Heritage Multi-Grain baked goods.
According to Schneider, flavour and freshness are important
to his customers, but so is being able to tell the story of
organic, local, heritage grains.
“Really, we are still a fringe specialty product, and mainstream
bakeries interested in high volume and lower margins do not
use our flour,” said Schneider. “We like it that way, to be honest.
We happily supply our favourite bakeries and benefit from their
tremendous baking skills in our marketing.”
Diet trends aside, bread still touches most consumers at
a very basic and personal level. While the Internet offers as
much information about their food as people want to digest,
bakeries offer a different kind of connection.
“I grew up with my mom making bread, so the quality
of artisanal bread has always appealed to me,” said Tara
O’Donovan, a loyal customer of Sidewalk Citizen.
“I like the community aspect of it as well—the bread is
fresh-baked every day, locally sourced, and nobody is cutting
corners anywhere,” she added. “The flavour particularly
appealed to me, and they always make a point of telling me
what kind of wheat the bread is made with.”
Bon Ton Bakery customer Marlee McGuire is motivated
by a desire for quality and to support small business, rather
Top: A Sidewalk Citizen employee interacts with customers at the bakery’s
Sunnyside Market location. In June, a new location opened in Calgary’s historic
Simmons Building.
Bottom: Sidewalk Citizen’s offerings differ from day to day, depending on what
new ingredients are available. Photos: Sidewalk Citizen Bakery
