Boutique shop makes jump to grocery shelf

Winnipeg Free Press

6 days ago

Scooping it all by hand is no longer feasible at Fête Ice Cream & Coffee.
At least, not to meet the demand of the roughly 30 Winnipeg stores it's inked deals with over the past few months.
The company's new second location, its daily caterings, its constant event pop-ups and its main locale — at 300 Assiniboine Ave. — still serve ice cream, in cones and pints, hand-scooped by workers with strong thumbs.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Fête Ice Cream & Coffee co-owners Elise Page (left) and Teri-Lynn Friesen are all smiles at their storefront location at 300 Assiniboine Ave. in Winnipeg.
'The one thumb is really strong,' said Élise Page, co-owner of Fête, while sticking out her digit inside the downtown shop, near a freezer stocked with pints to go.
Customers trickled in. A sunny day might draw 200 to 300 transactions, Page and co-owner Teri-Lynn Friesen estimated.
Lately, Fête seems to be catering daily, Friesen said. Further, 20 event appearances a month is a regular occurrence during farmers market season.
But the six-year-old shop hit a new pace in April: it placed its first grocery store-bound 500 millilitre containers in a Tuxedo-area Safeway.
And since then, it's added more Safeway and Sobeys chain locations to its roster. Five Red River Co-op stores and a number of Vita Healths have also signed on.
'There's so much opportunity right now,' said Friesen, 36. 'I … constantly feel the tug of war of wanting to chase the growth, and then also keep the business sustainable.'
It's hard to know whether a 'Buy Canadian' push has amplified stores' desire for Fête products. But it's there — it's knocking in Brandon and Steinbach, Friesen said.
She and Page started with their Assiniboine Avenue shop (holding a 400-square-foot kitchen) in 2019. Staff create ice cream and mix-ins such as jams and crumbles in the back.
There's a rotating list of flavours. Strawberry rhubarb crumble, salted caramel crunch and chocolate fudge brownie have risen in popularity.
When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, Fête bought three ice cream carts and hit the road. Ice cream seemingly became a comfort food, Friesen relayed — sales were good.
Catering orders boomed as in-person events and return to work mandates appeared.
It's continued: coolers filled with pints regularly trek to birthday parties, weddings and staff gatherings.
'Sometimes, I go into the backroom like, 'Just so you know, you're making literally 2,000 people thrilled today,'' Friesen said.
But she's had an eye on further growth. She's birthed two children since launching Fête; Page also has a child.
'I think when you have kids, it forces you to be specific about what you want to do with your time,' Friesen stated.
Not long after her second child was born, she joined a virtual 'restaurant to retail' program by a Saskatchewan organization.
There, Fête was introduced to Sobeys, per Friesen's recollection.
The Manitoba company was nowhere near meeting retailers' requirements in 2024. So Friesen and Page joined another accelerator that assisted food brands like theirs. Labelling and product traceability were among the topics covered.
Earlier this year, the co-owners went back to Sobeys. Their reach-out came as tariffs between Canada and the United States dominated headlines; shoppers began swearing off American products and searching for local goods.
In short order, Fête inked agreements with chain retailers. It's producing its large shipments — perhaps 1,000 pints at a time — at the University of Manitoba's dairy facility.
Machinery replaces hand-scooping for such orders.
'It felt like such a reward to land on the shelf,' Friesen said. 'Then you realize, 'Now we're next to the big names — OK. And we're twice the price of the big names — OK.''
The challenge will be drawing people to Fête amid the competition, she added.
Fête can't bulk order ingredients like larger brands, and staff create many of the components found in the company's ice cream. It's why Fête's prices are higher, Page explained.
Expanding rurally will 'probably happen faster than we think,' Friesen forecast.
She's aiming to eventually stock other provinces' shelves. Meanwhile, the company launched its second location — a kiosk on the Esplanade Riel footbridge — in late May. Its current lease ends in October.
'This is a great way to try out (a second location) without jumping in,' Page said.
Food & Beverage Manitoba's executive director has watched Fête grow from a café.
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'It's exciting,' Michael Mikulak said. 'I hope that they're able to take advantage of this 'Buy Local' movement.
'Retailers … seem to be much more open to at least giving some of these companies a chance. Whether or not they're successful is up to the companies, it's up to consumers.'
Fête appeared as one of Winnipeg's top ice cream hubs during Lorne Adrain's Google search. He tried four different flavours Wednesday while visiting from Rhode Island.
Having the brand in grocery stores 'seems like a good thing,' he said.
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Gabrielle PichéReporter
Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.
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