By Luke Edwards
Aaron Oosterhoff and his family are on a quest to put a twist on a classic breakfast menu.
The family’s Spring Creek Quail Farms won the Agricultural Excellence award at the West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce’s annual business awards gala. In recent years the business has grown in leaps and bounds to become one of North America’s largest suppliers of quail eggs.
“Our mission is to make quail eggs accessible to all,” Oosterhoff said after receiving the award.
Spring Creek beat out other finalists for the award, which included Green Sums Ltd., Lincoln Line Orchards, Mingle Hill farms, and Schuller’s Sweet Corn.
Oosterhoff said he was humbled by the win.
“It’s very special, and made me think of all the people who work so hard on the farm.”
Currently, it’s about 40 people, both full-time and part-time, who work at Spring Creek.
Oosterhoff’s uncle Clarence bought the property in the early 2000s. Aaron and his wife Lyndsay have since taken over. In recent years the operation has expanded significantly, and now provides eggs as far away as California.
Quail eggs remain something of a niche market, but are popular among the growing South American, Asian, and Eastern European demographics, Oosterhoff said. They’re also used by people who eat a lot of chicken eggs to “spice it up,” he added.
They can be eaten in much the same way as chicken eggs, Oosterhoff said his family will often eat them scrambled or fried. Some people will mix chicken and quail eggs together in a meal, as well.
In addition to being one of North America’s largest such providers, Oosterhoff said they’re proud to run a zero-waste facility. Their website promotes the use of 100 per cent recyclable packaging and shipping materials. All organic waste is used in compost to grow organic vegetables at a nearby farm.
The animals never receive hormones or antibiotics.
Oosterhoff said about three quail eggs roughly equals one chicken egg. The quail eggs are a little fluffier, as well, he said.
Though still a small piece of the overall egg market, Oosterhoff said quail eggs can be found at many major grocery stores.
He attributed the business’ growth in recent years to a few things: the hard work of the team, the support of his family, and God.
Spring Creek wasn’t the only farm business to be honoured, though it was also nominated for the other agriculture award. Instead, it was Premier Equipment that won the Agri-Related Business Award, beating out Spring Creek as well as Lowden’s Feed Supply.
“It’s an honour to be nominated, let alone win the award,” said Geoff Heczko, manager of the Smithville store. “We have lots of great ag-related businesses in the West Lincoln area and it feels great to be recognized.”
Premier’s Smithville dealership has been located just on the outskirts of town since 2008. Employing early 30 people, they sell and service John Deere equipment, as well as Honda and STIHL, as well as other short line solutions.
“Everyone at our location is dedicated to making sure the farmers, custom operators, commercial contractors and property owners keep going, whether it’s during planting season, harvest season, plowing snow, or keeping their property in tip top shape,” Heczko said.
He went on to say the West Lincoln business community is special, thanking Brian Thiessen of Boyle Tractor, who won last year’s award and announced this year’s winner at the event.
“He has been a long time customer and partner in the community and although we are competitors we truly do have a great relationship and are willing to help each other out wherever we can,” he said.
Here’s a full list of the night’s winners:
Agri-Related Business - Premier Equipment
Agricultural Excellence - Spring Creek Quail Farms
New Business - Crawford Chiropractic
Solopreneur - Avsthetics
Sustainability - Riverside Oasis
Community Impact - Smithville Pharmacy
Community Impact (non-profit) - West Lincoln Community Care
Spirit of the Chamber - Stanpac
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