Small Business Month

S M A L L B U S I N E S S M O N T H - S U p p L E M E N T T O T H E W I N N I p E g F r E E p r E S S - W E d N E S d A y , O c T O B E r 2 3 , 2 0 1 3 2 FullServiceBranchesnowopenat1890PembinaHwy&3365PortageAvenue CommercialCreditSpecialists "Expertiseonlyaprofessionalcanprovide" CommercialCentreat 1890PembinaHwy•204-896-2510 westoba.com•1-877-937-8622 Hours:Monday-Thursday9:00am-5:00pm • Friday9:00am-5:30pm • Saturday9:00am-4:00pm By Holli Moncrieff For the Free Press e rin Crampton wants to change the way you eat. The owner of Crampton's Market is passionate about supporting seasonal, locally-grown food and goes to extraordinary lengths to do so. Crampton opens the market, at the intersection of Waverley Street and Bishop Grandin Boulevard, before Mother's Day and closes it on the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day. During those five months, she works from 6:45 a.m. until 7:45 p.m. seven days a week, including holidays. "When it's our open season, all we do is work. I'm happy to do it because I know there is a break at the end," she said. "It's incredibly busy. We buy from over 100 small, family-oriented producers who are trying to make a living doing nothing but farming. Our customers can pick from the best products available throughout Manitoba." Crampton believes in supporting seasonal, organically produced food. She's introduced Community Sponsored Agriculture shares that allow her customers to buy shares of the produce grown during the summer and early fall. Nine spray-free and organic farms participate in the program. Crampton quickly sold out of the available 101 shares. Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) benefits both farmers and consumers, Crampton said. "It's the most consistent purchasing the farmers have. Their business depends on it. Because we support organic farmers consistently, they have been able to grow more and more produce. Our farms can grow varieties for taste because we consistently purchase from them throughout the season," said Crampton. "It really helps teach people about seasonal eating. Everyone gets this wonderful variety of stuff." Those fortunate enough to get a CSA share can pick up their produce at the market each Wednesday. There are CSA protein shares of free range meat as well. Crampton's also runs an onsite bakery and makes its own pickles and salsa. If Erin's husband Marc DeGagne wasn't her partner in the business, she'd probably never see him, she laughs. "I married one of my customers and convinced him to quit his job at Manitoba Hydro and run the market with me. We're running the world the way we think it should be run. All the money goes to all these local farmers. It's so nice to know it's not just about us," she said. The market has grown increasingly popular as people started caring more about what they eat and where it comes from, she said. "The business has changed immensely and so has our customer base. When we first started, people thought they could find a bargain at our store because everything is locally grown," Crampton said. "Now they understand the amazing amount of work farmers put in. If you'd like to have smaller producers in rural Manitoba, you have to pay for it. You need to support it." Crampton purchased the business from her parents in 1999. Running the market gives her the ability to implement new ideas quickly and have complete control over what is sold in her store. "Everything has a 24-hour turnover in the market. Fresh, in- season food is the only way to get your kids eating vegetables. I truly believe that," she said. "It's great to see people putting vegetables in their kids' mouths." Crampton's Market is up for a Manitoba Chambers of Commerce 2013 MBiz Award for Outstanding Small Business. "We want people to feel like they're arriving at a party when they come here," said Crampton. "I love handing out samples. It's great to share our passion with our customers." Even after the store closes, there's no rest for Crampton and her team. It takes a week to close the market for the season, and then it's time to make salsa. They use over 900 kilograms of tomatoes for their salsa making, which takes them until the beginning of November. After paperwork and meetings with producers, Crampton and DeGagne go on vacation from January until March. By the time they get home, it's time to start hiring staff again. "There are multiple reasons we need to buy local. We need to have a say in how our food is grown and keep our economy strong," Crampton said. "What happens if the border closes? Stranger things have happened." For more information about Crampton's Market, please see their website at http://www.cramptonsmarket.com. "Our customers get it. We have never advertised. You have to seek us out," said Crampton. "We're here because we're passionate about what we do, and people catch on to that." Marc DeGagne (left) and Erin Crampton from Crampton's Market. Photo by Darcy Finley/For the Winnipeg Free Press CrampTon'S markeT Crampton's passionate about seasonal, local food "There are multiple reasons we need to buy local. We need to have a say in how our food is grown and keep our economy strong."

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