Fattoria, The Hume Hotel & the 100 Mile Burger

Posted by julia on August 31st, 2010

It’s a 100 Mile love story about friends helping friends, local business helping local business and community helping community.

When Jen Barclay stumbled upon a group of Creston cattle farmers who were producing humanely raised, grass fed, grass finished beef, she saw an opportunity to get involved to support local business, raise awareness about food and bring a quality product to a market that was hungry for it.

In June Barclay began Fattoria, a company that distributes 25lb residential beef packages fresh frozen and delivered directly to the consumer’s door. The packages contain a mix of cuts from ground beef to roasts to steaks to ribs.

The Hume "100 Mile Burger"

“When I deliver the packages people are actually thanking me for doing this business and making this food available,” admits Barclay.

Banking on that success, Barclay approached her good friend and General Manager of the Hume Hotel, Ryan Martin, about adding a 100 Mile burger to the menu. “When Jen approached me about the 100 Mile burger, I’d already had the idea so I was all about it,” says Martin.

He topped it with cheese from Grand Forks, a bun from Pass Creek and produced some menu inserts to draw people’s attention and offer information on the benefits of healthy meet and supporting the local farmer. It would cost two dollars more than the regular burger on the menu.

“We bought enough meat that we estimated would last a month and we sold out in less than 24 hours,” Martin reveals with some astonishment.

Rachel and Allen Hoag of Skimmerhorn Winery, Ryan Martin, Jen Barclay of Fattoira and Al McLeod of Nelson Brewery

On Friday, August 27 the Hume re-launched their 100 Mile burger. This time Martin invited the press, paired it with Skimmerhorn wine from Creston and local Nelson brew and ordered over 300lbs of beef.

“We’ve actually hardly been selling any of our regular beef burgers. You cast a vote every time you place an order or you go to the check out line. Things are changing.”

Martin doesn’t say that they’ll be removing the regular burger from the menu anytime soon, but they are hoping to add free-range chicken to the lineup in the near future.

Barclay is delighted with the response to the burger.

“I am just so thrilled that people are willing to eat this way and make that choice. This is about small independent business coming together to support each other to help make a difference about the choices we make about food and about buying local.”

For more information about Fattoria or to place an order, email happyummylocal@telus.net or call 250.551.7765.