Miller Time

MEDICINE HAT WAS ONCE A MAJOR MILLING CENTRE FOR WESTERN CANADA. COULD IT BE AGAIN? INVEST MEDICINE HAT INVESTIGATES.

Before the pandemic hit, sourdough bread was making a comeback.

According to Nielsen, sales grew about 11 percent from 2015 to 2019. Another study, by Grand View Research, saw the market value of sourdough jump from $298.7 million in 2014 to $2.4 billion in 2018.

Covid-19 only accelerated the trend.

Stuck at home with nothing else to do, food bloggers and Instagrammers started sharing their home-baked loaves for the entire world to see.

Small-scale bakeries, like Medicine Hat-based McBride’s Bakery, were one of primary beneficiaries, noting a decided uptick in customer traffic.

“Our sourdough was a perennial best seller even before things shut down in March,” says Carole Hillson, co-owner of the long-standing bakery. “Our long fermentation process adds flavor you can’t find in a more commercial offering.”

Even discounting for the pandemic-induced boost, the sourdough trend has staying power, continues Hillson, who rattles off a list of Western Canadian sourdough worth travelling for.

“There’s Prairie Mill in Calgary, which is excellent,” she says. “And Night Oven in Saskatoon is simply amazing.”

As craft bakeries spread across the country, it’s created an opening for small-scale millers to supply the growing regional markets.

Nunweiler’s Flour Company, which operates an impact mill in the Hague, outside of Saskatoon, has expanded distribution across the country.

Gold Forest Grains, meanwhile, operates an on-farm stone mill just outside of Edmonton in Sturgeon County.

While Medicine Hat’s large-scale flour mills have all shut down, some of the expertise remains in the community, plus the region’s food processing industry shows strength in brewing, distilling, and meat processing.

Medicine Hat’s manageable size and strong connection to area farmers makes Medicine Hat an ideal base for anyone starting a business that would benefit from skilled labour, proximity to agricultural infrastructure, and hard-working hands.

 “I would love for a local miller to come and work with us,” says Hillson. “It’s a tricky business to be in, for sure, but I do believe the opportunity is there for a miller to set up in the city.”