Earls switches back to Canadian beef
'I learned something from this whole process and it was a good lesson,' company president says
Canadian beef is back on the menu at Earls restaurants, at least in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Earls president Mo Jessa announced Wednesday that 27 of its 66 restaurants are now serving Canadian-raised, ethically treated beef that is free of antibiotics and growth hormones. The rest of the restaurants will follow suit over the next couple of years.
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"I learned something from this whole process and it was a good lesson," Jessa told reporters, speaking outside an Earls location in downtown Edmonton.
Two months ago, the Vancouver-based Earls came under fire when it announced it would start sourcing its beef from a Kansas ranch accredited by the non-profit group Humane Farm Animal Care.
"We wanted to serve beef without antibiotics, hormones and had certification for ethical treatment," Jessa said.
While Canadian beef raised under those conditions exists, no single supplier was big enough to supply all 66 restaurants, he said.
'Today we changed the way we do things'
After Earls was castigated on social media, Jessa said, he realized his company made a huge mistake.
"Today we changed the way we do things.
Instead of looking for single-source supply, the company is now willing to work with multiple partners, Jessa said.
Since the controversy, Jessa has gone out to visit Canadian cattle ranches and meet with suppliers and stakeholders — "things I wasn't doing before," he said.
Earls is now working with Beretta Farms, based in Ontario, and Spring Creek Ranch, based in Vegreville, Alta.
And Jessa admits that working with several smaller suppliers has made his job harder.
"It's hard work. It's more co-ordination that's required."
