Pizzey’s Milling: Built From Scratch
The Pizzey family has lived in western Manitoba, Canada for more than 100 years, making its living in the agriculture business. Close to 20 years ago, company vice president Glenn Pizzey got involved with local flax growers looking to develop new markets for this ancient grain. About the same time, said Mr. Pizzey, there were several landmark articles in medical journals about the benefits of fish oils. This, he said, led to interest in the alpha linoleic acid in flaxseed. “We tried to duplicate the research and we found we could have the same impact with the omega 3’s from flax,” he explained.
“Toward the end of the 1980’s,” he continued, “there was a lot more interest in flaxseed but the challenge was how to commercialize the product. We began talking to medical doctors and nutritionists, trying to figure out the next step.” At the same time, he said, his wife Linda, who is now the company president, was working on ways to develop these products on their own. Unbeknownst to Glenn, Linda began baking flaxseed-enriched bread, which she then took to a local farmer’s market. It was an instant hit. “She was selling all she could make and it was a premium product; consumers loved the fact that it was healthier for you than regular bread,” said Mr. Pizzey.
That was 1990 and the company took off from there. For several years, Ms. Pizzey continued to bake bread for local farmer’s markets and supermarkets, moving from the kitchen table to a pilot facility in a spare bedroom to the garage. By 1992, said Mr. Pizzey, “we had fairly major interest from chain stores and national bread companies.” At that point, they converted a seed cleaning plant and warehouse on the family farm into a milling facility. “Since that point, we’ve been in a state of constant construction,” said Mr. Pizzey.
Having the connection with the consumer has helped tremendously, said Mr. Pizzey. “We continued to do farmer’s markets in the summers, which gave us a good feel for the consumer,” he commented. “They weren’t just buying bread, they were buying health benefits.”
The focus of the business hasn’t changed—Pizzey’s still continues to concentrate on the nutritional aspects of flax—but the couple has hung up their rolling pins to concentrate on the ingredient side of the business. Glenn Pizzey continues to focus on the science of flax, while Linda Pizzey handles running the business. The company exports 90-95% of its flaxseed out of Canada, mostly to the U.S. The Pizzey’s now have staff to look over the day-to-day business, so they can focus on the strategic direction of the company. “Now we can go back to what really got us started, our focus on a unique product. We want to provide our customers with added value, technical support and information about flax,” said Mr. Pizzey. “There is a tremendous difference in awareness now from when we started,” he said in conclusion. “We still have a way to go, but we can address the nutritional needs of consumers in more cost effective ways.” —E.S.
Pizzey’s Milling
P.O. Box 132
Angusville, Manitoba
Canada ROJ OAO
Telephone: 204-773-2575
Fax: 204-773-2317
E-mail: linda@pizzeys.com; glenn@pizzeys.com.
Website: www.pizzeys.com
Circle 100 on Reader Service Card.
