Fortune Creek expanded into downtown Kelowna

Fortune Creek on Bernard

Fortune Creek is bringing their sausage, beef jerky and more to downtown Kelowna with the opening of a second location.

Now open at 231 Bernard Avenue, in the old location of Jack's, Fortune Creek had a soft open last week and has been slowly letting customers come to them as people walk the strip.

Manager Amanda James tells Castanet it's been a long road for Fortune Creek and the owners are excited about expanding into Kelowna's downtown.

“They started out very humbly. They were selling stuff at the markets, going out and selling pies at the market and getting lots of business and orders upon orders and it grew and grew. They grew into an online business and so they were online for quite some time,” said James.

With thousands of tourists in Kelowna every summer, the local business is hoping to capitalize on foot traffic and word of mouth, as the new location will be front and centre for so many people in the city.

“Their goal is to bring what they do to more people because they feel proud of being able to give them something that’s their life's work. This is something they’ve had in their family for generations.”

Founded in 1981, Fortune Creek’s menu actually goes back quite a bit further, starting on the family farm in Alberta under the cooking of grandma and grandpa, and keeping to the same recipes the whole way through.

“If you can imagine kids growing up on farms, scrubbing floors, working for grandpa and grandma out on the farm and eating pies and jerky on the porch, that’s kind of what we’re all about. We bring good old comfort food, but what I like about it is these recipes that they actually make everything from, come from generationally old recipes, like really old recipes. We don’t use preservatives,” said James.

The downtown location joins Fortune Creek's flagship store and production centre near YLW and shops in Prince George and Medicine Hat.

Known best for their mennonite sausage, James says it’s a must try — 100 per cent AAA pork with no fillers.

"They are cooked fully and then they are smoked with applewood and cherrywood and they are delicious," smiled James.

The new downtown location is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.