Del's Specialty Meats was a local landmark in St. Boniface for 70 years, offering a delicious French Canadian cuisine that included mouth-watering pates and very tempting tourtieres, those delicous meat pies that can be quite addictive.

    Del's is still in business and its products are widely available in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba, but in 1997 the main production business moved to Letellier, a hamlet of 200 about an hour south of Winnipeg.

    The company was bought by the Gallant family, which has operated Gallant Family Foods there since 1923.

    Rick Gallant operates Del's with his wife Gloria and brother Bob and they've kept up the longstanding reputation of Del's for taste, quality and value.

    Their products are widely distributed to retailers, including Co-Ops and Safeway, and they have backhaul arrangements with Beatrice Foods, the milk company, which picks up and delivers retailer orders to southeastern Manitoba every time they deliver milk to the Letellier store.

    "Christmas is a busy time for us because pates and tortieres are in big demand." Rick says.

    "We're quite busy now too because we introduced a Del's Homestyle pizza five years ago. We made two dozen a week back then and now we produce 20, 000 annually."

    Del's belongs to the Manitoba Food Processors Council and their products are often used in promotions.

    "Public feedback at the promotions has always been very positive."

    Del's offers pates in four flavours: regular, pepper, garlic and cognac. Rick says the strength of the company's operation is in strong distribution networks and synergistic alliances.

    Sales have also grown thanks to pizza and meat pie fundraisers with schools, hockey teams and other charities.

    "It makes a new twist on just selling cookies or chocolate bars," Rick says.

    "It's been good for us and has raised a lot of money for the charitable groups."

    Anyone wanting to raise funds this way can call 1-888-285-3357 (DELS).