Crystal Springs Dairy
Evert Beyer fulfilled a dream when he purchased Crystal Springs in 2005. The facility in Lethbridge county is a labour of love and a family project. The four Bayer children each have a role in the business, from managing the cheese making facility to caring for the cattle on the dairy farm. A healthy, happy herd and top quality milk are the foundations of Crystal Springs products, and Theo Bayer devotes a lot of time to staying at the cutting edge of best practices for dairy farmers.
Depending on the season, you’ll see Crystal Springs’ delicious feta cheese, yoghurt and sour cream featured in our pastries, breakfast and lunch items.
Gull Valley Greenhouses
This family-run operation was started in 1991 by Phil and Carmen Tiemstra, and has grown to span four acres in Central Alberta, just south of Gull Lake.
Their main crop is tomatoes, growing twelve different varieties using sustainable, energy-efficient hydroponic systems. The tomatoes ripen naturally on the vine, allowing them to develop a fuller flavour. Indoor greenhouses with LED lighting mean Gull Valley produce can be grown year-round and delivered to local consumers while it’s still nice and fresh. They also don’t use pesticides, relying instead on insects like Lady Bugs to keep aphids and other pests under control. This creates veggies that are healthier for us, and our environment.
As well as their tasty tomatoes, you’ll see Gull Valley beans, red peppers, lettuce, herbs and other veggies popping up in our seasonal salads and soups.
Sylvan Star Gouda
Quality cheese comes from quality milk, and dairy farmer Jeroen Schalkwijk comes from a family of artisan cheese producers. His parents, Jan and Janneke, emigrated to Canada in 1995 to join him on his farm near Sylvan Lake. Drawing on their traditional knowledge - Jan’s mother was awarded a medal for best Gouda in Holland in 1952 – they started Sylvan Star Cheese and began creating prize-winning products of their own. As they neared retirement age, in 2022 they handed the reins to another Dutch immigrant, Art Loek, himself a sixth-generation cheesemaker. Art continues to use milk from Jeroen’s herd of Holsteins to create delicious Gouda. Having control over the cows’ diet is essential to achieving the complex flavours of the finished product – apparently, feeding them Alfalfa makes for the tastiest milk!
You can enjoy the melty delights of Sylvan Star Gouda in our Grilled Cheese. And if you want to sound like a real cheese expert, try out the Dutch pronunciation – how-da.
