Feature: Article from Country Guide

Manitoba dairy farmers relocate to Vancouver Island

A Gutsy Move: How do a couple of dairy farmers pick up and move halfway across the country?

Chelsea Enns knew she wanted a different kind of dairy business.

Enns and her husband, Albert Gorter, were looking to expand their dairy near Steinbach, Man., by adding their own processing plant to make dairy products.

Then the perfect business, Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, a small family-run cheesemaking facility, came up for sale near Parksville, B.C.

But turning their dream into reality would take a move across the country, faith in the universe, and an amazing team of family, friends and business professionals.

When Enns and Gorter started talking about a possible business expansion, they questioned what that could look like in Steinbach.

Would they be able to build on site or would a new location be necessary? Was their location compatible with a farm store? Would starting the whole process from scratch even work?

“There’s just so many things involved in processing,” says Enns. “You really need to have a good idea of what you want to do before spending all the money and building a facility and (purchasing) the equipment. You need to create your business plan first and we did not know what that was going to be yet.”

At that point, everything was contemplative, says Enns. While grappling with these questions, they started looking into businesses that were for sale, both in other parts of Manitoba and in Ontario and Saskatchewan.

The couple first visited Little Qualicum Cheeseworks after Gorter met owner Raymond Gourlay during a Dairy Farmers of Canada training session in Guelph, Ont. Clarke and Nancy Gourlay, Raymond’s parents, had established the dairy back in 2001. Enns and Gorter had already been planning a trip to Vancouver Island to visit a different dairy friend, so they added the Cheeseworks to their itinerary.

“Know that you don’t know everything [and] find the right people who do.” – Chelsea Enns.

They discovered that the Cheeseworks was exactly what they were looking for: a place they could see their product through from start to finish.

Before they left for home, Enns and Gorter told friends to let them know if the Cheeseworks ever came up for sale. Almost exactly a year later they got the call that would change their lives.

Sadly, Clarke had died in a mountaineering accident in Strathcona Park in 2019, leaving a huge hole in the business and by 2021, Nancy was ready to retire.

Enns and Gorter couldn’t let the opportunity pass them by.

“We did everything we could to make it happen,” says Enns. “That was in February 2021, and we moved in July. We were officially new owners as of September that year. It was a pretty huge whirlwind of a year.”

Right place, right time

Besides trusting that everything would work out, the biggest factor about the move was “knowing that you don’t know everything,” says Enns. “You just need to find the right people who do.”

When searching for the right financial backing, Enns already had people on their side through Manitoba MNP and Farm Credit Canada, so they connected with team members in B.C. MNP’s B.C. team also made recommendations for other professional services, such as lawyers.

“We just managed to create this super team. They had all known each other before from working on previous deals, so they all knew how to communicate with each other and how everybody worked,” says Enns.

Besides buying a new farm, Enns said they also had to figure out the best path forward for their farm in Steinbach. Gorter’s parents stepped in to take over.

Leaving behind family and friends was a challenge, but throughout the transition, Enns says everyone was immensely supportive. No one tried to talk them out of leaving and everyone — friends and family — helped Enns and Gorter with the move.

Enns and Gorter hit the ground running at the Cheeseworks in September 2021. Gorter took over management of the dairy and Enns manages the market.

The business welcomes 200,000 customers a year. They sell their own cheese as well as products from local vendors and they also sell milk through a coin-operated milk dispenser that’s open year-round. According to their website, it was the first in the country and is still one of only a handful.

A sampling of some of the products on offer at Little Qualicum Cheeseworks.

The dairy is open to the public for self-guided tours, a learning experience for both locals and tourists alike.

“Parksville is one of the top tourist destinations on the island, other than Victoria and Tofino,” says Enns. “People make us a part of their trip. They show up to tour the farm, try the milk and buy some cheese and learn a bit about Canadian farms on their vacation.”

As if a life changing move wasn’t stressful enough, Enns found out she was pregnant with their second child, adding another level of chaos and uncertainty to an already challenging time. While it didn’t stop them from moving forward, it did make them stop and pause, wondering if this was a sign to slow down.

But through it all Enns says the stars aligned in so many ways that she just had to trust the universe.

“We’re not really religious people, but sometimes I think the universe has some control over things. All our stressful moments and questions of if we did the right thing or not, it always comes back to, yes, this is challenging, but we’re going to get through it, because this is where we’re supposed to be.

More to do

There was very little Enns and Gorter needed or wanted to change as they took the reins. Clarke, Nancy and Raymond had built a strong business model for both the dairy and the farmgate store, both of which were well-known in the community when Enns and Gorter took over. The couple rebranded a bit and assessed cheese sales to make some decisions about poor performers.

Enns says they are also taking advantage of the strong tourism industry.

One local resort uses Little Qualicum Cheeseworks in their restaurant and also provides every suite with a one-litre milk bottle and an information card on how to fill it up at the Cheeseworks milk dispenser.

Similar to how you might fill a water bottle, the ‘Milk-On-Tap’ machine dispenses pasteurized milk for customers.

Guests are also encouraged to get the full on-farm experience and to shop in the farm store.

They’ve found new opportunities to get their name out across the province by hosting more holiday events at the farm and attending more markets and food festivals across the province. This helps them connect and partner with chefs throughout British Columbia.

Luckily, many employees stayed on through the transition. Without a lot of previous work experience managing large teams, there was plenty to learn but a wealth of people on staff to learn from, says Enns. She recalls that sometimes she had problems with imposter syndrome.

“I was constantly asking them to tell me what they think they should do. I felt like an imposter in that role, having no experience prior to that… like, what am I even bringing to this business? Without our staff, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Three years in and there are still some things for which Enns feels she doesn’t have the answers but acknowledges how far she’s come.

“In the beginning, I could have very easily been like, ‘wow, I’m so not right for this position, this is not for me, I can’t do this’. Instead of that, I kept going. I kept trying to learn. I kept trying to understand on different levels from different objectives. Now I actually feel like I can run this business.”

And there’s even more they want to do.

Gorter got his dairy plant workers license a couple years ago and helps in the cheese factory. Enns hopes to do the same this year now that both her children are in school.

“Sometimes it’s just getting over that hump of the idea itself, and breaking it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces.” – Chelsea Enns.

“One of my goals this year is to get my license to work in the plant, to start working with our cheesemakers and to learn more about the process. Hopefully, one day, I can make my own batch of cheese.”

For those considering a big change, Enns advises starting small. She says that pivots don’t have to be big to be impactful, and there is always room to grow and build on what people have already done.

“There’s lots of experts out there that can look at your situation and tell you what it is you need to do. Oftentimes it’s not as hard as you think it might be, and sometimes it’s just getting over that hump of the idea itself, and breaking it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces,” she says.

“No one needs to purchase a whole dairy herd or purchase an entire cheese-making facility. Just figure it out and find the people able and willing to help.”

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Original Article from Country Guide: https://www.country-guide.ca/features/manitoba-dairy-farmers-relocate-to-vancouver-island/