McLean builds ethical, natural deli meat success story

As a youth Garth McLean spent a lot of time at his aunt and uncle’s farm on CI Road, Bliss & Helen Hachey. He graduated from Miramichi Valley High School in 1982, and soon after graduation, moved across the country to Vancouver, BC. His first job in Vancouver was as a worker in a Federal meat packing plant, where he was responsible for loading products and doing deliveries. Seeking new experiences, Garth then moved into a sales role, and shortly thereafter was promoted into sales management. His hard work and tenacity were soon recognized, and he was recruited by Lilydale Foods, one of the largest poultry companies in Canada.

However, over time, Garth became dismayed as he witnessed the harms of the conventional meat industry and the suffering of the animals, as well as realizing how many chemicals were used in food production. He made the difficult decision to leave the industry after 7 years in pursuit of other career opportunities that were aligned with his sense of caring and ethics.

One of the major factors for Garth when he left the conventional meat industry was his experience growing up in the Miramichi. As a young child, Garth had spent a lot of time at his Aunt and Uncle’s property on CI Road, where they had a small farm filled with animals. These animals were cared for like pets, and they roamed the land freely and were always treated humanely. In fact, if you look closely at the original logo of Garth’s company, you can see a red barn in the background. This came directly from his childhood memories of being on his family’s farm, and the wonderful experiences growing up and playing with his cousins, and spending time with all the animals there.

After leaving the conventional meat industry, Garth began to hang out in natural food stores and always wondered why there were no deli or cooked meat items available in those type of stores. This was back in the mid 90’s, where most natural food stores only offered tofu, granola, etc. Garth loved deli and cooked meat products, and he was very certain that there would be a market for this type of food offering in the natural food stores. With this spark of an idea, the wheels started turning, and the journey began!

Garth went to work researching this type of meat products and found a company in USA called Applegate. He reached out to them to see if they would like to hire him to represent their products in Canada. This is when they were first starting out and they wanted him to move to Philadelphia and join their team, as head of sales. Garth was very intrigued by the opportunity, but as his children were in Vancouver, and being comfortably settled there, he couldn’t accept the position. Instead, he asked the owner if he could be their broker and represent them in Canada. Unfortunately, they were not interested in that, and so Garth decided to develop his own product line in Canada.

With his prior experience in the industry, he was able to build on his existing connections with local processing plants and food scientists. Back then, there were no organic farms in Canada, and so Garth’s first step was to make a clean product without any chemicals in it. After a lot of testing and hard work, he found a local meat manufacturer in Vancouver and launched his first deli product: a fully cooked turkey roast with no preservatives. He approached a small all-natural chain in Vancouver called Capers and encouraged them to try this new product in their deli case. The buyer was very neutral initially, as she liked the idea but wasn’t sure if the stores would support animal products in the stores. But she was willing to give it a try! Garth went to Canadian Tire to buy a cooler and packed it with ice, and then dropped off one single deli roast to her store and said, “If they sell, you can pay me. If not, we move on.” As it was a Friday, he also said he would give her a call in a week to see how things had gone. Well, to his pleasant surprise, the buyer called him on Monday morning and said, “They sold out Saturday. You were right. Let’s get together right away and discuss a few items for all of my stores.”

Garth was excited, but now he had to come up with a name for his new company! He went with Natural Farms (officially established in the late 1990’s), capturing the essence of what he wanted his products to be. However, despite his excitement, this was just a small start-up company, and so he wasn’t making enough money to support his family. Luckily, through a friend he was able to secure a contract in the mushroom industry. This position was the perfect fit for him, as Garth was now able to promote and sell what he believed in – ethical, sustainable food. For Garth, his dream to work in a role that allowed him to be honest and ethical had come true.

For the first few years, Garth continued to work at both jobs, and he divided his time between both of his companies. At that time, the mushroom contract was growing like crazy and was taking up a lot of his time and attention, whereas Natural Farms was consistent work, but wasn’t yet showing any significant growth.

Fortunately, one of Garth’s best friends Michelle Neilson who was working in the tourism industry was actively looking for a change of pace. Garth proposed that she come join him to grow the Natural Farms company, offering her half the ownership if she would support the bulk of the day-to-day work as Garth continued to grow the mushroom contract.

And with that, history was made – the new business partnership was a perfect union as Michelle’s skills complemented Garth’s, with her creative and analytical skills providing the perfect balance to Garth’s industry knowledge. Michelle also came up with the company motto, “Embrace Food with Gratitude,” which is still in use today. Together, Garth and Michelle worked hard and continued to stay focused on their vision, and soon brought in Michelle’s partner Deanna Bell to work alongside them, doing everything from packing to deliveries. Deanna was a genuine believer in the ethical mission of the company, and in fact, wrote the company mission & vision statement.

 

The next big change as Garth, Michelle, and Deanna moved forward together was making the company organic, and accordingly, changing the name to “McLean,” as the company only used the leanest cuts of meat (“LEAN”) and added no chemicals (“CLEAN”). With these guiding principles deriving from the McLean name, the company officially rebranded and launched as MCLEAN ORGANIC FOODS in 2004. A few years later, Garth’s eldest son Justin joined the company and helped in every aspect of the organization, becoming a huge contributor to the company’s success.

Around this time, Whole Foods came into the Canadian Market, opening their first store in West Vancouver just 2 blocks away from Garth’s home. When Whole Foods opened, they asked McLean Organic Foods to be their supplier for fully cooked deli meat sausages, as McLean was the only company in Canada who had pioneered this type of product. This marked a standout moment in the history of McLean Organic Foods, as this was the first time the industry was taking note of their unique products and approach. Shortly thereafter, Whole Foods acquired the local Capers chain in Vancouver, and began to expand across Canada, and McLean Organic Foods began to receive calls from all over the country as well. Garth remembers one particular instance where he received a call from a buyer in Toronto, asking if Garth would be able to ship his products to Ontario.

His initial thought was, “No way, that’s way too far.” However, it turned out that this customer was Fortino’s, who at the time had approximately 20 stores.

Garth took the leap, and Fortino’s became one of McLean’s biggest supporters, continuing to work in close partnership with McLean’s even to this day. In fact, Fortino’s was the first company to give McLean’s an official flyer in the grocery industry. From that point onwards, the business grew exponentially, as McLean Organic Foods was finally noticed for all their hard work, and for the passion behind the brand.

In February of 2024, McLean’s was proud to celebrate its 20th anniversary! Today, McLean’s is in every Natural/Organic store across Canada, and also in most conventional chain stores. It may seem crazy how McLean’s grew into the industry leader it is today, but it all started with an idea and a dream. From having no money and just the spark of an idea, the company grew into its current success due to hard work, good timing, and a healthy sprinkling of luck! Garth truly believes that if you follow your passion, and have a strong team working alongside you, you can accomplish any goal.

After 20 years, Garth decided that he was ready to step back, and he and Michelle decided to sell the company to a larger company who would be able to offer the support and resources required to take the company to the next level and secure McLean’s future. Today, the McLean brand is available through Piller’s Fine Foods in Ontario, Canada.

Garth’s final thought leaving behind McLean Meats is: “Eat healthy, and always be kind to animals.”

From the mcleanmeats.com website

The McLean Meats story goes back over 30 years when company founder Garth McLean moved from New Brunswick to Vancouver and got his first job working in a Federal meat plant and as a truck driver.

As Garth worked his way up into sales he became personally involved in every aspect of the commercial meat industry. Dismayed with all the chemicals and preservatives found in deli meats, he developed Canada’s first nitrate-free deli line called Natural Farms.

In 2003 Garth’s friends Michelle Neilson & Deanna Bell joined Garth on his Vision and together they rebranded the company as MCLEAN MEATS, drawing inspiration from the words “CLEAN” and “LEAN” in Garth’s last name. Their Mission was to produce clean food products that nourish the body while supporting natural, humane and sustainable farming. And it still holds true today. The company tagline, ‘Embrace Food with Gratitude’ was inspired by their mutual love of animals. It serves as a testament to give thanks and acknowledge our consumption of meat.

In the years following, the McLean Meats team persevered through the Avian Flu, industry pushback, manufacturing restrictions, labeling limitations and a lack of consistent organic meat supply.

In 2006, Garth’s eldest son Justin McLean joined the company on the production floor. Working from the ground-up like his father, today he is in charge of supply management and logistics.

In the summer of 2016, Deanna returned to the McLean team to help re-fresh the brand and manage marketing.

McLean remains Canada’s only Deli Meat Company that is truly preservative free: no chemical preservatives or nitrites extracted from celery.

McLean also follows the original principles and values that inspired Garth to launch his own company: clean recipe development, animal welfare and building a team that shares the same passion.

“We’re proud to be the only deli meat company in Canada whose entire product line is truly “clean”. – Garth McLean