Sunterra June 2014

Sunterra Market

Our farms,

Our pork

June is pork month and we thought it was a good time to share one of our best-kept secrets; our business was founded on pork!

Read our story inside.

JUNE 2014

FEATURE STORY

June is pork month and we thought it was a good time to share one of our best-kept secrets; our business was founded on pork!

That’s right. Read on to find out how Sunterra Farms pork came to be so delicious.

Over

forty years of perfecting pork

B Y N ATA S H A G L E I S E R

In the early 1960s a handful of pig farmers in Oxfordshire, England were concerned about the future market for purebred pigs. Pigs had previously been raised for fat, with people consuming lard as you would butter, even up to World War II. Wanting to produce leaner hybrid pigs, a man named Ken Woolley cofounded Pig Improvement Company (PIC) in England with five other families.

In a pub, of course. And that’s where the Sunterra story starts.

Fast forward fifty-two years later and we’re sitting in a comfortable boardroom in Acme, Alberta talking about pig genetics, family memories and the path from that pub in England to Sunterra Farms today. The wooden walls are covered with pictures of the buildings that make up the farms, and Ken Woolley’s son Ben, who manages the pigs, is here. So is Sunterra Group President Ray Price, his mother and Sunterra matriarch Flo Price, and, actually, all the Sunterra Farms office staff. It’s lunchtime.

Ben explains that his father Ken came to Acme in the 1960s to work with a local swine geneticist on improving breeding stock.

That geneticist, Dr. Howard Freeden, introduced Ken to his friend Stan Price, who was raising pigs on a nearby farm with his wife Flo. Their eldest son Dave had just turned 18, and Ken invited him to work at PIC for a year and live with the Woolley family in England.

Dave returned to Alberta in 1969 with a head full of heritable characteristics like feed conversion, prolificacy, lean growth and

other farm-y things that most people never think about. Heck, even other farmers weren’t thinking about those things back then. But Dave and his parents Stan and Flo were committed to the industryleading PIC model and in 1970 their first load of Landrace and Large White pigs were flown in from England. To keep them as healthy as possible from the get-go, Stan negotiated a private quarantine for the animals, resulting in Dave having to live with them for a month.

“I had to deliver groceries to the side of the road,” laughs Flo. And since then, the health of the animals has remained number one, says Ray, who just returned from an international pork conference in Japan. The pigs live indoors so their diet and temperature can be managed. They are kept with their peer groups so they feel comfortable. And outside visitors? No way. Even farm staff have to shower and change into decontaminated gear to get inside.

“Pigs are pretty hearty animals, but it’s important to keep them stress-free,” says Ray, adding that healthy pigs don’t have to be treated. “What’s good for the animals is good for us. It’s hand in hand.”

This uber-healthy approach did cause some troubles in the beginning, Flo recalls. People used to buy pigs based on what they looked like, and they started getting upset when they were told they couldn’t see or touch the pigs before buying them.

“We were doing something no one could understand, so it was hard for a time,” she says.

LEFT TO RIGHT Sunterra Farms pork in Sunterra Market, Dave Price, Acme farm, Stan in Acme circa 1960, Ben Woolley, Ray Price on a business trip to Japan, geneticist Dr. Howard Freeden, Flo and Stan in the original Acme office.

But with perseverance and commitment to the PIC program, the pigs started selling and business took off. Keeping the pigs so healthy meant they could accurately performance-test peers to continue improving the gene pool. Years of careful genetic indexing, first on a huge wall full of pockets with handwritten notes, then on the U of C main frame before getting a 16KB memory TRS Model 1 computer finally paid off, and the family began to export their coveted pigs around the world to places like Chile, Cuba, Mexico, America, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. They still do to this day.

In 1989, the family took over the Trochu processing plant, now known as Sunterra Meats, so they could ensure the highest degree of quality throughout all factors of production. And by the end of the ‘80s, they were convinced they could sell pork directly to customers.

Luckily the youngest Price son, Glen, was in Hong Kong opening grocery stores. After some convincing to join the family business (including a trip to Europe to see how markets were run there), Glen and his team opened the first Sunterra Market in 1990.

Today much of Sunterra Farms’ pork is distributed around the world, including Japan – where they refer to it as “clean pork”. By taking ownership of every aspect of pork production, from breeding to nutrition, to processing and distribution, Sunterra Farms is an Albertan success story forty years in the making. So celebrate pork month with the cut of your choice; a juicy pork chop, tender ribs or pork loin, and enjoy knowing exactly where it came from and why the quality and taste is perfect.

Pay with points! It’s as easy as pie. Use your Fresh Rewards points at a cashier’s till to take home many of the items below. Sunterra gift cards, cooking classes and catered meals can be paid with points, just not at the till. Ask a cashier for a redemption form or fill one out online at sunterramarket.com

FEATURE RECIPE

Bakery

Single cookie ($0.99).................................................................. 40 pts Muffin, scone, or sliced loaf ������������������������������������������������������ 64 pts Square or brioche cinnamon bun ��������������������������������������������� 68 pts Scone or muffin 2-pack............................................................ 112 pts Full square pan......................................................................... 320 pts All fruit pies (9 in.).................................................................... 400 pts

Juice

Fresh squeezed juice (470mL) ������������������������������������������������ 140 pts Fresh squeezed juice (940mL) ������������������������������������������������ 224 pts

Deli

Yogurt & granola cup............................................................... 120 pts Greek yogurt parfait................................................................. 140 pts Soup of the day........................................................................ 144 pts All sandwiches.......................................................................... 240 pts Grab ‘n’ Go meal ($5.99) �������������������������������������������������������� 240 pts Grab ‘n’ Go pizza (uncooked) ������������������������������������������������� 280 pts Boxed Salad............................................................................. 320 pts Grab ‘n’ Go meal ($8.99) �������������������������������������������������������� 360 pts Grab ‘n’ Go dinner ($15.99) ���������������������������������������������������� 640 pts Valbella smokie packs.................................................... 400 – 520 pts Burger packs................................................................. 600 – 720 pts Friday Night Feast for two (1 pack) �������������������������������������� 1,200 pts

JUNE Stockboy specials

Southwestern-marinated pork capicola steak SERVES 5 TO 6 INGREDIENTS 900g Sunterra Farms pork collar butt 1/2 green pepper 1/2 red pepper 1/2 cup green onion MARINADE 6 tbsp Frank’s Red Hot sauce 4 tbsp canola oil 4 tbsp brown sugar 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 2 tsp garlic, chopped 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked 1 pinch chili flakes salt to taste

PREPARATION Combine all marinade ingredients and set aside.

Cutting across the grain, slice the pork collar butt into steaks, about six to seven ounces each.

Marinate the steaks for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Before grilling, bring the steaks to room temperature. Meanwhile, dice the peppers and slice the green onion.

Heat a grill or cast iron pan to medium and brush with a light coating of oil. Grill the steaks on both sides. Using a basting brush, coat the steaks with the marinade each time you turn. Grill until steaks are cooked through and meat is lightly charred. Discard any leftover marinade.

Serve on a platter garnished with peppers and green onions.

Sparkling ICE beverages (503 mL)............................................. 72 pts Covered Bridge chips (198g)................................................... 128 pts Matt & Steve’s pickled beans (500mL)..................................... 208 pts Walter Caesar mix (725mL)...................................................... 232 pts House of Q barbeque sauce (375mL)...................................... 304 pts Sparkling ICE beverages (12 pack).......................................... 760 pts

JUne features

Valbella maple pepper ham (100g)........................................... 72 pts Martin Collet brie (100g).......................................................... 144 pts The following items can only be redeemed by filling out a redemption form. Ask a cashier or fill one out online at sunterramarket.com

GIFT CARDS

$20 .......................................................................................... 800 pts $50 ....................................................................................... 2,000 pts $60 ....................................................................................... 2,400 pts $100 ..................................................................................... 4,000 pts $150 ..................................................................................... 6,000 pts $200 ..................................................................................... 8,000 pts

COOKING CLASSES

Sunterra Lunch ’n’ Learn Cooking Class for 2 (Calgary Only) ...... 1,360 pts Sunterra Private Cooking Class for 10 ............................... 25,200 pts

CATERED MEALS

Sunterra Catered In-home Dinner for 10 (Standard Menu)..... 23,200 pts Sunterra Catered In-home Dinner for 10 (Premium Menu) ��� 28,000 pts

Trendspotting Sweet and savoury ham from Canmore, sumptuous French brie and fancy melons are some of our favourite things this month.

MARTIN COLLET BRIE Serve at room temperature with your favourite crackers and a crisp champagne, or heat things up a little by baking it with fresh fruit and drizzling with a touch of pure honey for an ooey gooey treat.

Regular Price $4.29/100g June Stockboy Special $3.59/100g VALBELLA MAPLE PEPPER HAM Perfect for breakfast smothered in syrup and just as wonderful shaved on a sandwich with mustard mayo, it’s quite the renaissance ham.

WRAPS IN A SNAP

Regular Price $1.99/100g June Stockboy Special $1.79/100g

HOUSE OF Q BARBEQUE SAUCES This competitive barbeque team from Langley, B.C. has won multiple awards with their Slow Smoke Gold and Apple Butter sauces. Slather up.

Regular Price $8.99 June Stockboy Special $7.59

FEATURE KITCHEN Sliced bread has nothing on these. Try a hearty Mediterranean vegetable and hummus wrap, grab some shrimp salad rolls or pick up a pack of smoked salmon and dill aioli hyerollers.

FRESH PICK FANCY MELONS Do you #fearnofruit? Then we’ve got tons of melons for you to try, like the crisp Hami melon, vitamin c-filled orange flesh honeydew, sweet and slightly spicy Crenshaw melon and mild Casaba melons.

June Cooking Class Schedule Celebrate pork month and book a special edition pork-inspired cooking class this June. Get the kids excited with our Little Piggies Pizza Party class, or treat Dad this Father’s Day to our Beer, BBQ & Butchery class. We’ve got classes for all ages that will put more pork on your plate.

CALGARY* call 403-236-9759 June 6 Southwestern pork capicola steak with tropical fruit salsa 12 p.m. I $15.99

June 21 Beer, Barbeque & Butchery noon & 5 p.m. I $59.99

June 7 Kid’s Kitchen Little Piggies Pizza Party 1 p.m. I $14.99

June 25 Social Kitchen: Outdoor BBQ 6 p.m. I $49.99

June 11 Social Kitchen: Thai 6 p.m. I $49.99

June 26 Perfectly Paired Grape Blends 5 p.m. I $24.99

June 12 Perfectly Paired Pinot Noir 5 p.m. I $24.99 June 17 Social Kitchen: Backyard Bites 6 p.m. I $49.99 June 19 Perfectly Paired Pinot Grigio 5 p.m. I $24.99

EDMONTON* call 780-426-3791 June 24 Social Kitchen: Backyard Bites 6:30 p.m. I $49.99

*Calgary classes held at Sunterra Market, Keynote. Edmonton classes held at Sunterra Market, Commerce Place. Visit sunterramarket.com for more information.

june 21

15 june

We’re so proud of our pork we want to share it with you at these great events.

Sunday, June 15 | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

No reservations needed

Saturday, June 21 | 12 - 3 p.m. & 5 - 8 p.m. $59.99 | Call 403.263.9759 for tickets

26 june

Thursday, June 26 | 5 - 8 p.m.

Events held at Sunterra Market, Keynote, 200 12 Ave. SE, Calgary For more information visit sunterramarket.com

Bring some friends, fill up at the food stations and soak up the sunshine on our rooftop patio.

Tickets include entry and food Early Bird (June 1-13) $30 | General (after June 13) $35 Group (purchased in blocks of six) $25 ea Buy online at digthepig.eventbrite.ca

Friday Night Feast Schedule JUNE 6

JUNE 20

Chickpea salad

Thai noodle salad

Butter chicken on turmeric rice with naan bread

Shrimp rice bowl with baby bok choy

Carrot cake

Mango mousse

JUNE 13

JUNE 27

Cucumber dill salad

Rapini and chickpea salad

Southwestern pork capicoli steak with roasted fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables

Chipotle beef brisket with garlic mashed potatoes and pineapple mango salsa

Black Forest cake

Sinful chocolate cake

$14.99 per person. Each bag contains two dinners for $29.98 or 1,200 Fresh Rewards points

Our Friday Night Feast menus change weekly, find the schedule in our newsletter or online at sunterramarket.com