Self-employment
Dutch immigrants' hard work leads to 'remarkable' businessSeeds of successTwenty-five years ago this weekend, a friendly employee suggested to Dutch immigrants Tom and Emmy Droog that instead of raising bird seed on their southern Alberta farm they should turn to sunflower seeds and get into the snack food business. |
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 [ 2007-08-04 ] |
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Today, their company, Spitz International Inc., has 75% of the sunflower seed market in Canada and is the third largest selling brand in the United States.
Spitz has contracts to some 10,000 acres of land from 40 farmers in Alberta and southern Manitoba to produce their seeds.
And, now, after hiring Myles Hamilton, away from snack food giant Frito Lay Canada Ltd., as vice-president, the company is planning an aggressive expansion into new markets.
Hamilton, who also has six years with Procter and Gamble on his resume in addition to the 15 years with Frito Lay, describes the success of Spitz as "remarkable" in the highly competitive snack food world.
"Last year Spitz generated $30 million in revenue and aside from being sold in every province in Canada is in 41 U.S. states. The company has gone from No. 50 in the U.S. in the sunflower seed snack business to No. 3 in an incredibly short time."
Hamilton says the two founders, who couldn't even speak English when they arrived in Canada in 1972, decided it was time to "step aside" and find someone to take the company to a new level.
That was just two years ago, and Hamilton has since been bringing all his sharply honed skills to the deftly named Spitz.
"We're aiming for absolute coast-to-coast national distribution in the U.S., and we're looking at other world markets, too."
He credits the company's success under the Droogs to their entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, and innovative approach to their product.
"We market six different flavours: Salted, seasoned, dill pickle, hot and spicy, and chili lime. We're launching smoky barbecue, and targeting the pumpkin seed market with a dill pickle-flavoured seed."
Spitz was actually the first company in North America to offer flavoured sunflower seeds, and the first to package them in re-sealable bags.
"Our goal is to double our business within the next three years, and we've got the team and the strategies to make that happen," says Hamilton.
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