It’s a success story that’s lasted over six decades.
St. Jean’s Cannery & Smokehouse based in Nanaimo still hand-packs products, just like founder Armand St. Jean once did after starting the business in his backyard.
“It’s a level of craftsmanship that really doesn’t exist in this industry anymore,” CEO Steve Hughes told Global’s This is BC.
“We make products in traditional ways. We do it in our operation with people that care.”
The business is the last standing cannery on Canada’s West Coast.
“We were very fortunate to come into the purchase of this back at the end of 2015,” said Aniitsachist, president of Nuu-chah-nulth Seafood L.P.
Since then, the cannery has been owned by five Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
“A lot of the things that we do are based on our traditions and cultures and building on success is just one of those principles,” said Aniitsachist.
“I think the secret to our success is just being consistent,” said Hughes. “As a Canadian manufacturer based on the island, we’re never going to be a low-cost producer overseas.”
Challenges in the industry have meant constantly adapting over the years.
“Wild salmon harvests in B.C. are way down, there’s uncertainty in aquaculture,” said Hughes. “Getting access to the products we need has always been a challenge. Sometimes I like to say we’re built to survive.”
Now, the team is continuing a legacy that started back in the early 1960s.
“It’s really our smoked products,” said Hughes. “If you smoke a B.C. sockeye it’s a taste like nothing else.”
“We would like this to stand forever so we can tell the story of our legacy and our connection to our land’s resources,” added Aniitsachist.
“Right now there’s nothing broken. We’d like to carry on doing what we’re doing. We don’t want to go backwards in time, we want to carry the past with us into the future.”