Farms to Tables: Gorrie Line Produce brings local food to the masses

BY SCOTT STEPHENSON

Gorrie Line Produce (GLP) is a grocery store that runs on the rhythm of the seasons by stocking its shelves with seasonal produce provided by dozens of local growers. 

 

Step through the front door on a summer morning and the almost overwhelming abundance of Huron County is on full display. Natural light spills across quarts and baskets full to the brim with an ever-changing rainbow of fruits, vegetables and herbs. 
That same sunlight is captured and refracted by glass bottles of apple juice, bouncing onto jars of homemade jams and jellies. Jugs containing various types of vinegar stand alongside the canning supplies, waiting for the height of the harvest season. The arm of the cash register comes down with an audible ka-chunk as each item is rang through. 

 

The atmosphere feels effortlessly timeless, but behind the scenes there is a remarkable amount of planning. Elam Martin, a manager and shareholder at GLP, has helped oversee the operation since 2019.

 

Martin explained to The Citizen that GLP began as a family-owned market in the early 1980s before transitioning to a co-operative owned by seven shareholders. In 2003, it moved to its current location. “It’s been growing continuously,” he explained.
Today, the market employs six full-time and six part-time staff. It opens each year on the Friday before Mother’s Day and welcomes customers six days a week until the first Saturday in November. GLP is always closed on Sundays. 

 

The business is built on a simple idea - produce for the people. “We are very local - 90 per cent of our produce is grown in our own community,” Martin explained. “The rest is sourced from local markets and other family farms. We start with asparagus and lettuces in the spring, maybe radishes, and progress through the year, and we end up with squash, cabbage and potatoes in the fall. Our first fruits are strawberries. Then we get into raspberries, blueberries, plums and apples.”

 

One crop, however, has become the market’s specialty: tomatoes. “When we open in the spring, we have tomatoes, and we have them all summer until we close in the fall,” he noted. “There’s hardly a day when we don’t have tomatoes, and we’re well known for the quality of our tomatoes - they’re a customer favourite.”

 

For customers, the strictly seasonal approach can take some getting used to. “People often ask for produce before they’re in season, because they’re used to seeing them in grocery stores year-round,” Martin pointed out. “We work with the weather, so we just have to wait on our produce. Most of the growers are part-time growers. They also have livestock farms, so they may grow one crop or half a dozen crops. By bringing everything to one location, we can offer a complete variety of anything that can be grown locally.”

 

The market also serves as a showcase for the work of local bakers, preservers and craftspeople. Maple syrup, pickles, relishes, sauerkraut, ketchup and soups are available for purchase, as are wooden spoons, cutting boards and planters. In total, GLP supports about 60 local farmers.

 

Garlic has become another important part of that partnership. Collectively, the growers of GLP produce about 35 acres of hand-harvested garlic every year. Each bulb is naturally dried, brushed, graded, sized and bagged, before being sold wholesale. The same facilities are also used for preparing onions for sale.

 

While local produce fills the shelves whenever possible, a few favourites arrive from farther afield. Peaches come from Niagara and other parts of southern Ontario, while apples arrive from places like Paisley. “Peaches are probably our number-one fruit,” he said. “We also sell a lot of blueberries and strawberries.”

 

The sheer volume of fresh produce that passes through GLP is impressive. On a busy summer day, the market can sell as much as 350 litres of strawberries. Over the course of a season, roughly 600 bushels of apples pass through the store.

 

Business reaches its peak in August and September. “Just about everything that can be grown is available then,” Martin pointed out. “By August, our shelves are full and we start moving our produce onto the outside porch.” By the end of the season, Gorrie Line Produce records between 20,000 and 22,000 sales each year.

 

Friday and Saturday are especially busy, thanks to an assortment of homemade baking that draws regular customers. Fresh pies, butter tarts, breads, cookies, pumpkin loaf, banana loaf and raisin bread are all popular favourites.

 

Planning for the next season begins right as the current one comes to an end. “When the store closes, we immediately start thinking about next year,” he told The Citizen. “By the end of November we have a growers' meeting where we start planning crops for the next season.”

 

As a non-profit organization, the market exists to support the growers who make it possible. GLP takes a commission on sales to pay its bills, maintain essential machinery and pay its workers. “If there’s anything left over, it goes back to the growers,” he explained.

 

GLP also depends on repeat business to thrive. “A loyal customer base is the biggest thing,” he said. “We need to do our part by having a variety of fresh products that are well presented, along with friendly service.” 

 

It’s a simple enough arrangement, and it works.