Construction is underway in Salisbury, N.B., on a a new building twice the size of the Green Pig Country Market’s previous building after it burned down in September.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot more spacious,” co-owner Dawn Beckwith said of the new building.
“We’re going to have a walk-in cooler for the vegetables. We’re expanding our bakery and our kitchen for the café. There will be a greenhouse for the next phase and an all-seasons patio,” she said.
She is hopeful construction will be completed in November, allowing them to capitalize on the tail end of their season, which usually ends in January.
The Green Pig has been operating in Salisbury since 2007, and served as a popular attraction for those travelling from out of town.
“We were very busy throughout the summer once tourism picked up the kids are out of school we definitely had very busy days,” she said.
Beckwith is preparing for an unusual summer season, planning to sell produce from a small building on-site as well as at the Moncton and Salisbury farmer’s markets.
While she’ll be able to sell produce, the market won’t be able to put on tourist draws like its annual Sunflower Festival.
Salisbury Chief Administrative Officer Austin Henderson said he’s anticipating a slight reduction in traffic this summer without the Green Pig, calling it an “anchor business” for the small community.
“Through the Trans-Canada Highway there are 17,500 people that pass there in both directions on a daily basis,” he said.
“So for us, one of the main goals is getting people off of that highway and places like the Green Pig help do that,” he said.
He’s optimistic it won’t affect the growing town’s bottom line too much.
After municipal governance reforms took effect in January, the town went from from a population of 2,300 to 7,800.
“It was a really big jump with a lot of learning curves,” Henderson said.
He said with the growth comes “a lot of conversations” about tourism and the role it plays in smaller communities like Salisbury.
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