ALAMEDA - For the South East Butcher Block (SEBB) Co-operatives directors and stakeholders, it was a year of anticipation to finally hold their grand opening on Nov. 2.
Each of the 250 people in attendance could take a tour of the facilities and enjoy beef on a bun and a celebratory cake.
According to Jen Cobham, one of the 17 employees, most people were impressed with the building and thought it was a beautiful addition to the town. All the employees had the opportunity to move over to the new building after Davis Meats was shut down.
“It was amazing to see so many people come out,” said Cobham.
As people came and went throughout the afternoon, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place with Murray Carnduff. He was the owner of Davis Meats and now is the manager at the SEBB.
The directors were also on hand, including president Ryan Hull, and Trent Dorrance, William Brown, Marlowe Brown, Jeremy Brooks and Carri-Lee Rutten. Absent was Justin Marcotte.
Cannington MLA Daryl Harrison was also in attendance. T.L. Penner Construction from Virden, Man., the builders of the establishment, came out to join in on the festivities.
Trent Dorrance had a short speech to welcome everyone and to thank everyone for coming out. He also thanked all the directors and volunteers that put in thousands of hours to make this project happen, and the shareholders that have made this project possible.
The provincial government was also a big contributor to getting things going through the Saskatchewan Lean Improvements in Manufacturing (SLIM). This program is for purchasing or upgrading equipment to expand processing to a new product complimentary to existing primary inputs. With spending a million dollars in equipment, this allowed the SEBB to receive half of this back through the program.
Four years ago, the plans for the SEBB began and a groundbreaking occurred Sept. 26, 2023, for the 5,000 square foot building that is located on the south end of Alameda. It houses a full store front and abattoir.
While they had hoped to have the grand opening in the spring, this was not possible as they waited for equipment, including the smoker. The old smoker did its job, but the new one was to get things rolling in a quicker fashion.
The old Davis Meats Shop was closed down and purchased by the SEBB, and the old Davis Abattoir still stands beside the new building. It will be demolished in the future.
Right now, they are busy with wild game and pork processing, but Dorrance said they have met expectations and are genuinely happy with the way things are going.
They will not be processing any fowl at the plant, but pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, bison, deer, moose or elk are all part of the animals they will handle.
The store front is packed with meat for purchasing, offering a wide range of meats.
They believe the outcome of the day was a huge success and they are extremely happy with how it all turned out.
The directors, staff and shareholders look forward to a future of providing top quality meat and service through the SEBB.
