Since Country Grocer got its start in Nanaimo in 1984, it has expanded into 11 locations and beyond the walls of the grocery stores.
Today, the chain, with all locations owned by family members, also has its own TV show, a magazine and is heavily involved in the community.
In the third generation of the family is Craig Cavin, the South Island operations manager. In honour of the chain's 40th anniversary, he and marketing director, Tammy Averill, sat down with Black Press to give deeper insight into the grocery store's impact and commitment to the local community.
What does Country Grocer do beyond a grocery store?
Cavin: Lots. We have our own magazine, Friends and Family, that Averill and all the departments have a big hand in. There's a nutritional corner and we highlight local suppliers and our relationships with them. Then we have our own show, Cooking on the Coast, with our chef, Heidi Fink.
Averill: We're also involved in community events like the Cycle of Life Tour [a two-day group cycling fundraiser supporting hospice care on Vancouver Island]. There are six team members on the Country Grocer Team. Chef Heidi will prepare all the food for the riders and the volunteers (that's meals for a minimum of 150 cyclists). Country Grocer donates the food, her time and her lodging.
How would you describe Cooking on the Coast?
Averill: It's a half-hour show on Saturdays at 6 p.m. The first portion is Heidi producing a recipe, and then we do a cut where we visit Island suppliers. Heidi finishes off the recipe and it ends with a beverage pairing with Liquor Plus. The supplier portion brings attention to how many awesome Island suppliers we have and takes a peek at their business, which a lot of people would never get to do.
How did you get involved with Chef Heidi?
Cavin: We interviewed some chefs and she was the one that wowed us right away. She had a history in it, not being on TV but she teaches as a food instructor at Camosun for the food truck. She was just the one. She makes wholesome food quickly and makes things simple for the viewer.
How does Country Grocer give back to the community?
Cavin: I know myself, my brother and everybody in the company takes pride in giving back. It can be as small as a kid's bottle drive from the school. Or we deal with national campaigns with United Way. We've got the local Help Fill a Dream. We're supporting the Courtnall Society and did a lunch program for the school in Esquimalt.
What do you love most about working in this industry?
Cavin: Being involved with so many people. We have almost 1,200 people who work within the organization now. I definitely don't know all of them but I've worked here long enough to have grown up with a lot of them. Seeing their families grow, them having kids and meeting each other here, it's really rewarding.
This article is from the 2024 edition of Best of the City.
