Welcome to the Hectic Life of a Pierogismith
Rob and Rachael Meyers are the owners of Little Foot Foods, with Rachael's family recipes as the basis of our business we've taken leaps and bounds to creating the 50+ flavours we now serve of pierogi. It took us years to grow this 'little' business of ours and we are so lucky to have found the customer base we have now to support our growing ideas and goals. Things may seem like a breeze from the outside but we would love to give you a look into our past couple years so you can really learn about our story!
Let’s take a time warp back to January 7th, 2017. Our son, Ellis, arrived in this world. We planned for him and thought we would have a break in January. Rachael would take time off and Rob would take care of things at the kitchen. It was a breath of fresh air having this new life to be responsible for! Winter sales continued to push forward, however, and we were busier in the kitchen than expected.
As the months pushed forward and Ellis grew, so did our production ability. Unfortunately, the kitchen we rented back then couldn’t grow alongside us and we began inching closer and closer to maxing out our capacity there. Around the same time, we came across an offer too good to refuse: a full set of equipment to automate our operation. After several late nights and lengthy discussions about how automating would effect our hand-folded pierogi business, we decided to take the leap.
In our industry, more specifically with our products, most places we compete with are non-profit groups who have volunteers producing for them. Taking this opportunity would help ensure we will be around for a long time producing the flavors you love and offering better availability than ever for our goods! Now we can spend more time focusing on making delicious fillings, creating new dishes, and maybe bringing back some old favourites. Our goal is to ensure that you can get your favourite comfort foods at your convenience.
Understanding our operation was in for a major change, we also had to come to terms with moving locations. The equipment we were acquiring was simply too big for the space we had. We were already maxing out and we knew the extra production would easily push us over that threshold. The Riverside Sports Center was a great spot for us to get our footings and we’re grateful to Tom, Craig, and the board for giving us a home for the beginning years of our company.
And so, the search for a new home for our business began. We looked at several places across the city that would work for us but alas, our checklist was long and ready-to-go kitchens are in short supply in this area. We were lucky enough to come across Goran at Remax Reality who end up leading us to our new location! Not only was there enough room for our production, but for a large storefront as well! Every box on our checklist had been ticked, and even some we didn’t know were on there!
At this point in time, it is now mid-April 2017, we’re supplying our retailers more than ever, we’re cleaning and prepping our new space, and we have a 3-month-old! On top of that, April was our planned month to start doing events again and we had several scheduled already. It was some crazy times! Running on little sleep and relying on our employees to remind us to take a break to eat, we saw it all coming to a head. Splitting ourselves and our team between 2 locations and trying to stay on top of things at home was exhausting! I highly recommend avoiding that if possible. We saw the light at the end of the tunnel and knew we just had to keep pushing to achieve our goal of a June open.
Of course, there were problems and hiccups along the way, but our resolve was strong. Our team scrubbed the Shop from top to bottom, replaced lighting and ceiling tiles, and helped us move in and set up our new home. During the process, our new equipment was delivered and we finally had the opportunity to finally play with our big toys! Now we are rocking with a blast freezer, a huge stand mixer and a Potato Peeling machine that looks like it could be the villain in a 70’s sci-fi movie! They cut down on some of the most tedious parts of the pierogi making process.
The Pierogi machine, however, is the real game changer. It allows us to produce at a speed that was unthinkable before. There was definitely an adjustment period getting use to the machine and it’s quirks but by the time we were a few batches in, we had worked out any major problems we came across. The best part is we were able to keep our extremely thin dough and managed to learn how to stuff them just right.
One of our biggest issues in the past was having to pick and choose which flavours got to stay and which had to go to ensure we could produce enough. Now that the lengthiest part of the process has been nearly cut out of the equation, we produce all our flavours on a regular basis. We will keep you posted on our Social Media for what we’re adding back into our line up weekly!
Our new home is at 1404 Tecumseh Rd E at Moy. We have our wide selection of Pierogi, Cabbage Rolls and Stuffed Peppers available throughout the week. We make sure to produce vegetarian and vegan options so that everyone can find something to eat with us. We are also teaming up with some of the friends we’ve made over the years to bring you even more locally produced product! Look for Cedar Valley Selections, The Vegan Gardiners, Chance Coffee and more in store as we expand our offerings.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the immense support you have given us over the years! If it were not for you we would not have been able to pursue our dream and get to the point we’re at now! We promise to continue to offer high quality food and excellent customer service and to continue to exceed your expectations with every visit! If you haven’t checked us out yet please feel free to stop in, say hello, and let us introduce you to the wonderful world of gourmet pierogi!
If you have any questions feel free to contact us via phone (226-246-2382), email (littlefootfoods@hotmail.ca), or through private message on Facebook. Looking for a great team to join? Email us your resume!
Let’s take a time warp back to January 7th, 2017. Our son, Ellis, arrived in this world. We planned for him and thought we would have a break in January. Rachael would take time off and Rob would take care of things at the kitchen. It was a breath of fresh air having this new life to be responsible for! Winter sales continued to push forward, however, and we were busier in the kitchen than expected.
As the months pushed forward and Ellis grew, so did our production ability. Unfortunately, the kitchen we rented back then couldn’t grow alongside us and we began inching closer and closer to maxing out our capacity there. Around the same time, we came across an offer too good to refuse: a full set of equipment to automate our operation. After several late nights and lengthy discussions about how automating would effect our hand-folded pierogi business, we decided to take the leap.
In our industry, more specifically with our products, most places we compete with are non-profit groups who have volunteers producing for them. Taking this opportunity would help ensure we will be around for a long time producing the flavors you love and offering better availability than ever for our goods! Now we can spend more time focusing on making delicious fillings, creating new dishes, and maybe bringing back some old favourites. Our goal is to ensure that you can get your favourite comfort foods at your convenience.
Understanding our operation was in for a major change, we also had to come to terms with moving locations. The equipment we were acquiring was simply too big for the space we had. We were already maxing out and we knew the extra production would easily push us over that threshold. The Riverside Sports Center was a great spot for us to get our footings and we’re grateful to Tom, Craig, and the board for giving us a home for the beginning years of our company.
And so, the search for a new home for our business began. We looked at several places across the city that would work for us but alas, our checklist was long and ready-to-go kitchens are in short supply in this area. We were lucky enough to come across Goran at Remax Reality who end up leading us to our new location! Not only was there enough room for our production, but for a large storefront as well! Every box on our checklist had been ticked, and even some we didn’t know were on there!
At this point in time, it is now mid-April 2017, we’re supplying our retailers more than ever, we’re cleaning and prepping our new space, and we have a 3-month-old! On top of that, April was our planned month to start doing events again and we had several scheduled already. It was some crazy times! Running on little sleep and relying on our employees to remind us to take a break to eat, we saw it all coming to a head. Splitting ourselves and our team between 2 locations and trying to stay on top of things at home was exhausting! I highly recommend avoiding that if possible. We saw the light at the end of the tunnel and knew we just had to keep pushing to achieve our goal of a June open.
Of course, there were problems and hiccups along the way, but our resolve was strong. Our team scrubbed the Shop from top to bottom, replaced lighting and ceiling tiles, and helped us move in and set up our new home. During the process, our new equipment was delivered and we finally had the opportunity to finally play with our big toys! Now we are rocking with a blast freezer, a huge stand mixer and a Potato Peeling machine that looks like it could be the villain in a 70’s sci-fi movie! They cut down on some of the most tedious parts of the pierogi making process.
The Pierogi machine, however, is the real game changer. It allows us to produce at a speed that was unthinkable before. There was definitely an adjustment period getting use to the machine and it’s quirks but by the time we were a few batches in, we had worked out any major problems we came across. The best part is we were able to keep our extremely thin dough and managed to learn how to stuff them just right.
One of our biggest issues in the past was having to pick and choose which flavours got to stay and which had to go to ensure we could produce enough. Now that the lengthiest part of the process has been nearly cut out of the equation, we produce all our flavours on a regular basis. We will keep you posted on our Social Media for what we’re adding back into our line up weekly!
Our new home is at 1404 Tecumseh Rd E at Moy. We have our wide selection of Pierogi, Cabbage Rolls and Stuffed Peppers available throughout the week. We make sure to produce vegetarian and vegan options so that everyone can find something to eat with us. We are also teaming up with some of the friends we’ve made over the years to bring you even more locally produced product! Look for Cedar Valley Selections, The Vegan Gardiners, Chance Coffee and more in store as we expand our offerings.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the immense support you have given us over the years! If it were not for you we would not have been able to pursue our dream and get to the point we’re at now! We promise to continue to offer high quality food and excellent customer service and to continue to exceed your expectations with every visit! If you haven’t checked us out yet please feel free to stop in, say hello, and let us introduce you to the wonderful world of gourmet pierogi!
If you have any questions feel free to contact us via phone (226-246-2382), email (littlefootfoods@hotmail.ca), or through private message on Facebook. Looking for a great team to join? Email us your resume!
Artisanal pierogi and more....your source for windsors best local products
Phone: 226-246-2382 Email: littlefootfoods@hotmail.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/littlefootfoods Twitter: @littlefootfoods Instagram: @littlefootfoods
Facebook: www.facebook.com/littlefootfoods Twitter: @littlefootfoods Instagram: @littlefootfoods
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