Article from this weeks Clinton Record

Forager Foods putting local ingredients on the taste buds
By Cheryl Heath, Clinton News Record Staff

Sam Gundy wants to do the foraging for you. And that new take on a timeless idea has earned the Bayfield-based entrepreneur a nomination for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ Agri-Innovation Award.

The nomination means Gundy could be presented with an award that includes a cash reward ranging anywhere from $5,000 to $150,000. But, all of that is just icing on the cake for the man who is putting the local back into the neighborhood grocery store.

A quick tour of Gundy’s Forager Foods, located in the newly created plaza on Highway 21 in Bayfield, reveals a sampling of the not everyday fare made with all local ingredients. From the exotic, like shitake asiago-stuffed organic chicken breast, to the traditional macaroni and cheese, to the increasingly popular butter chicken, Forager Foods proves small stores can carry fare usually only carried in urban centres.

Still, notes Gundy, Forager Foods emphasis is not on prepared meals, rather it’s about stocking the shelves with fresh produce, meats and cheeses that are raised and grown by regional farmers.

Most of the meats hail from Metzger Meats in Hensall while other items, like maple syrup, are found at spots throughout Huron County and beyond.

The items traveling the farthest, notes Gundy, are cheeses from Quebec, though there are a number of varieties from Huron and Bruce counties, too.

The ultimate goal? One day Gundy would like to see a new turn on the old idea of the chain store. In essence, each region would have its own Forager Foods site, carrying mainly the goods, meat and produce of its home region.

The idea of focusing on locally grown and produced goods and produce, notes Gundy, has been a long time coming. “I noticed the trend occurring two years ago and it’s just grown,” he says.

Gundy says he has heard positive reviews from customers and farmers since first opening the door of Forager Foods in the spring of 2008. Indeed, farmers often drop by his store to show Gundy their produce or introduce a value-added or niche-market product. He notes his two-dozen suppliers include an egg farmer from Zurich and fish caught in Lake Huron. “I like to call them partners because we really are all in this together,” he says.

Popular books, like the 100-Mile Diet, and the growing trend towards buying local are other economic indicators that Gundy is on the right path.

“The goal is to create a local economy and alternative location for produce and meats to get to the consumer,” he says. “People appreciate that it’s all under one roof and it’s fresh.” Knowing where the meat and produce comes from, adds Gundy, also gives consumers piece of mind.