As part of our “Look for Local” in-store offering, we are committed to sourcing and celebrating the great local products from communities right across Canada. We are proud to partner with hundreds of local suppliers to not only bring the best products to our stores, but also to invest in our local communities.
A great example comes from our partnership with Alberta-natives, Marueen and Al Obrigewitch, who are the creators of Souptacular Soup Company. Showing incredible growth since hitting our shelves, Souptacular is available in 78 Safeway, Sobeys and IGA stores across Canada.
We sat down with Maureen to learn more about how they built Souptacular:
Share a little bit about your background and how your company came to be
Al grew up in Luseland, Saskatchewan, where everyone had huge gardens and enjoyed natural food. He attended the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and received his cooking degree. We met during his cooking practicum near Jasper, Alberta.
My folks owned and operated “Folding Mountain Resort,” a beautiful spot with a campground, cabins, a gas station, and a restaurant, where I began cooking at a very young age. Homemade meals were served to guests morning and night. After meeting Al, we persuaded him to work for us at the resort and the rest is history!
We eventually settled in St. Albert, Alberta, where Al had many great cooking opportunities over the years. In 2001, we started entering local Farmers’ Markets with various food products and discovered our passion for bean and lentil products. Souptacular was born!
Tell us about Souptacular
Souptacular is an easy, dry, “just add liquid” (water or broth) ready-to-cook soup mix. Souptacular uses homemade seasonings and is vegetarian and vegan friendly – no chemical or meat bases. Souptacular is perfect for stovetop, slow cooker or Instant Pots. It’s high yielding and loved by kids; we’ve experimented for years on our three boys!
In what ways have your local roots impacted your business?
Our local roots run deep. Since 2001, we’ve taken our time to tweak, adjust, change and experiment with our soups at farmers markets and craft shows. At high-end Alberta craft shows, we always tell our customers they can find us at Safeway!
Why were you interested in working with Safeway?
We knew that Safeway offered wonderful support to local suppliers, like us. We had just finished our final packaging refresh and were working to appeal to the retail market more.
What growth has your company seen since partnering with Safeway?
Our partnership with Safeway has been very well received. Safeway has provided the opportunity for our business to finally enter the grocery store space and sit alongside national brands. This was a wonderful opportunity to grow!
Our three boys now have established roles within Souptacular Soup Company, and we are thrilled that they have the chance to learn how to run a business – and experience all the challenges that go with it! We call that kind of success, “the crackers in the soup!”
Be sure to check out Souptacular Soup Company the next time you’re in one of our West Safeway, Sobeys or IGA stores, and stay tuned to Safeway Talks for more Safeway Local Supplier Spotlights!
