Hay River's Polar Eggs under new ownership and returning to N.W.T. shelves

After a nearly two-year absence, Polar Eggs will soon be back on store shelves in the N.W.T.

Matt Vane and Jeff Bisschop of Knutsford Ventures Inc. took ownership of the Polar Eggs farm in Hay River, N.W.T., a year ago, and they're now ready to begin sending out their product. Eggs will be going out to 20 stores across the territory in the coming weeks.

"We're gonna be pretty excited about that. That's been a long time coming," said Vane.

The business's former owner, Kevin Wallington, told CBCNews in September 2022 that they were experiencinga supply chain issue and had a delay with equipment certification. That put a stop to the eggs being sold across the N.W.T. under the brand the company is registered under the name Polar Eggs, thoughits packaging bears the name Polar Egg.

Since then, Vane says they were able to connect all the dots required to get the eggs back on store shelves in the N.W.T.

Vane is from Chilliwack, B.C., where he also runs another egg farm. He said he's very passionate about farming and the egg industry and that's something he's excited to bring to the N.W.T.

"A little egg is such a nutritious product. To be able to produce something that's that good for people and bring it to a place like the Northwest Territories is pretty special," he said.

Right now, Vane is still traveling back and forth between B.C. and N.W.T., but they are currentlybuilding a new barn at the Hay River farm that will also include housing to accommodate a longer stay.

That's something Vane said he is looking forward to, after coming to Hay River and finding he likes the small town atmosphere and welcoming people.

"It's certainly special being up there and I think you'll see more and more of me up there," he said. "While we can, andyou know, if weather conditions are good."

Before selling the business last year, Wallington along with his brother and father owned Polar Eggs from2018. Before that, Wallingtonmanaged the operation for over sixyears. He says he's excited to see what the new owners will do.

"It's hard to hand something off when you've put that much into it. But at a certain point, you have to look at the continuation," he said.

"And this new young farm manager that's come up and these young farmers that are really committed they've done a lot of work to move forward with a new barn. And I'm very excited about that."

The egg farm was a lot of work and transitioning to the new grading station was a challenge, but Wallington said it was an honour to be a part of the farm and Polar Eggs.

"The way that the community of the North rallied around us in that venture was something that I will always cherish," he said.

The farm's new owners have introduced a new flock of about50,000 hens to the barn, and they're producing well.

"We're keeping the hens warm and comfortable and well fed and watered," Vane said. "And I think by the results of the flock so far that I'm seeing, I'm very, very happy with it."

Vane said that both he and Bisschop are passionate about farming and look forward to getting high-quality local eggs back into N.W.T.stores.

"We're glad we're here. We're going to do the very, very best we can to ensure that you're always getting the best quality," he said. "And we're not going anywhere, we want to be here for as long as you'll have us."

Polar Eggs may notbe the only commercial farm in the Hay River area for long. Wallington is still interested in agriculture and is now looking beyond eggs.

He's currently the CEO of Northstar agriculture in the N.W.T. and will be working with Yukon's Northstar Agriculture to produce even more farm-raised food for the North.

"I've got a 33-foot geodesic dome that is set up, we have some other greenhouses that are ready for construction," he said.

The aim is to create a working farm, complete with crops, livestock, and food processing facilities. He's also looking forward to getting locally-produced food on northern store shelves.

"My passion is to support and encourage agricultural local food development all across the territories," he said.