by COLLEEN HAWKESFORD of the Weyburn Review
Three Fillmore businessmen will be flying to France this month to promote their product at a world-wide food fair.
Blair Stewart, Dean Hanson and Tracy Ogden of Fill-More Seeds, Inc., a processing and purchasing plant in Fillmore, will be taking lentils and other specialty crops to Paris in small bags suitable for grocery store shelves. The three are hoping to market the eye-catching, smaller bags to overseas retailers.
"Lentils there are a lot bigger than here," said Blair Stewart, president of Fill-More. "They're the meat and potatoes of the world over there. We're taking some of our bags to display and give away."
Stewart said the smaller bags, complete with an attached recipe in French and English, will be more visually appealing to grocery chains than the 100-pound bags Fill-More currently ships overseas.
"A lot of the product, when it gets over there, is rebagged into smaller bags, more store-shelf-type bags," Stewart said.
Approximately 131 countries and 180,000 tradespeople, buyers and sellers will be at the trade show, which takes place October 18 to 22. The Fill-More team has already scheduled several meetings with potential international buyers.
"Maybe nothing comes of it, but it opens a little dialogue and people realize what you're doing," Stewart said.
John Flatnik, the Esetvan-Weyburn regional manager for Saskatchewan Economic Co-operative Development, commended Fill-More on their initiative, and entrepreneurial spirit.
"They run a nice operation now and I think that would really add to it," Flatnik said.
Flatnik said Saskatchewan's image overseas is a clean atmosphere and high-quality crops. The reputation allows for a marketing advantage for businesses such as Fill-More.
Flatnik said the visit to Paris is a natural progression for Fill-More and he believes they will do well in the overseas market.
Stewart is hopeful benefits will not only be reaped by Fill-More, but also by the customers who sell their specialty crop at the plant.
"I hope it's a two-way street," Stewart said. "Hopefully some of the benefits will go back to them and hopefully some of the benefits will come back to us too."
The Fill-More representatives will be displaying their wares at a booth in the Canadian pavillion, where interpretors will be provided if necessary.
Stewart said Fill-More has been looking at the trade fair for a number of years, and finally decided this was the year to attend.
"It's going to be a challenge for a bunch of prairie boys," Stewart said. "But I'm comfortable, we know our business, we know how to do it, it's just going to be kind of overwhelming compared to the trade shows we've attended so far."
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