Gloria Gallant has a common ingredient in all of the products she makes at Del's Specialty Meats -- and that ingredient is quality.

    The Gallant family has operated a grocery in Letellier since 1927, and when Del's Quality Meats of St. Boniface came up for sale in 1997, the family decided to purchase the recipes and some equipment and move it all to a new building adjoining the grocery.

    Gloria's husband Rick said the grocery business is a good partnership because it allows them to purchase inputs at a better price as well as work out some marketing and distribution deals for their products. This partnership, along with the Gallants' great care in producing a high-end product, has helped the business grow.

    Rick operates the store with his brother Bob. At one time, they considered relocating to Winnipeg to manage the Del's business. "We thought about the value of the Winnipeg presence, but ultimately decided to move the businesshere to a new building and we would have better control."

    The decision has paid off. The frozen pizza portion of the business has grown from 12 a week or about 600 per year -- when they took over to just over 29,000 last year.

    The Del's product is not a discount frozen pizza.

    "It competes more with take-out pizza, and we do well in towns without a take-out pizza restaurant," Gloria said. "We see people buying a cheaper pizza and adding cheese and pepperoni, but they don't have to do that with Del's pizza."

    It is not only the quantity of toppings but the quality that has helped sell the product. "We use Winnipeg Old Country meat products, because we know the quality and we are proud to put them on out pizza," Gloria said. She insists on using Manitoba products whenever possible.

    The business will also supply three food tents at the upcoming Festival du Voyageur, which is sanother part of the business that has grown dramatically. "We started with tourtière, now we make a three-meat Voyageur pie and a sugar pie in the French Canadian tradition," Rick said. The Voyageur pie contains chicken, beef and pork, a small change from the traditional wild game of a century ago.

    "(Festival organizers) liked our products, so they asked if we could make pea soup. Now we do that, as well as a vegetarian baked bean dish," added Gloria.

    Del's also supplies the French Canadian pavilion during Folklorama. "It's good to have a break between festivals, but the freezers get pretty full in preparation." said Gloria.

    The pre-Christmas entertaining season puts further demand on Del's traditional meat products like pate.

    Del's also has a fundraiser program for schools and sports teams. "It's been great for us, and it gets our product out," said Rick, "but we never really know if the organization will be back the next year and at what level."

    When you ask plans about the future, Gloria is quick to answer. "I know what i want, I want more space," she said. "The freezers get pretty full and it's tough to move around."

    On the production side, there's always the possibility of going to another shift. The business already employs six people, making it one of the largest employers in Letellier.

    This is one Manitoba firm that proves there is always a demand for quality.