A Bird for All Seasons
There are few products that create a more memorable culinary image than a whole roasted turkey glistening with golden skin at the Thanksgiving dinner table. For over 60 years, Hayter’s Farm in Dashwood has done its part filling holiday platters with these traditional birds. In fact, Tradition is a word imprinted on their logo and the farm has been run in the most traditional of ways by passing down the family-run business through three generations. In 1948, Harry Hayter started with 300 turkeys on 120 acres of farmland. This has since expanded to more than 3,000 acres and the business has been passed to Harry’s son, Tom Hayter, and daughter, Joanne Maguire, and now employs 60 people (including Tom’s wife, Elaine, and five third generation grandchildren – David and Sean Maguire, and Justin, Adam, and Lindsay-Jayne Hayter). Joanne recognizes that her father was an innovative, open-minded, and dedicated businessman and they continue to operate in his style with an eye for continuous improvement, while never losing sight of their attention to quality.
In the early 1980’s, the first processing plant was added to the farm and has been renovated at least seven times over the years, including a high-tech, Multivac tray-sealer machine – the first one ever used in Canada – to better package and label their brand of products. With improved processing facilities, the quantity of turkeys has increased dramatically over the years, often reaching 6,000 turkeys a week, and during the holiday seasons, peaking at 50,000 for each Thanksgiving and Christmas. Turkeys are, however, processed all year round with approximately half sold as whole birds and the other half further processed into parts.
This brings us to the second part of their logo – Taste – which has nudged their business away from the traditional in order to experiment with a plethora of turkey products. They have no trouble filling the time between the seasonal business by processing fresh and frozen turkey products from utility birds. Not messing with success, the Hayters have continued to use the same recipes since they started this segment of the business in 1987, resulting in some best-selling products, like their Original Turkey Sausage and Turkey Schnitzel. The product lines have expanded since then with value-added items to satisfy a customer base looking for more than just basic turkey breasts, such as Onion and Parsley Turkey Burgers and seasoned Teriyaki Turkey Filets. They even offer unique, ready-to-cook items that are not typically associated with the bird such as Lasagne and Shepherd’s Pie, which are prepared by an outside caterer, Jerry Rader, and sold in the store. In a recent development, Hayter’s Farm has partnered with nearby butcher, Gerhard Metzger of Hensall, to smoke their turkey meat for smoked sausage and bacon, which, along with their turkey pepperettes, have quickly become products that fly off the shelves.
The farm is not only successful in selling the end product, but also takes great pride in ethically raising all the turkeys supplied by neighbouring Cuddy Farms in Strathroy and Cold Springs Farm in Thamesford. Received as one-day old poults, the turkeys are reared for 15-17 weeks until they are ready for processing at 30-35 pounds. The turkeys are housed in spacious quarters and are 100% hormone and steroid free. Along with a high level of dedication to meet health and safety standards, having the turkeys well-nurtured in a single, controlled location results in the highest quality product.
Just steps away from where the turkeys roam in their comfortable living space, there is an outlet store right on the farm offering all the Hayter’s products. Halfway between Exeter and Grand Bend on County Road 83, a visit to the store is well worth the trip. It is a clean and well-kept store, with a friendly and customer-focused team lead by Elaine. Other retailers across Ontario also carry the products, including several grocery markets in London. Recently, Longo’s in the GTA has started buying Hayter’s turkeys to market under their own private-label brand and restaurants, such as Jack Astor’s, order their products to incorporate into their menus items.
The Hayter’s retail store also supports other family-run businesses by selling local condiments that complement their turkeys. Of course, cranberries are offered from Johnston’s Cranberries in Bala, as well as honey from Ferguson’s Apiaries in Hensall, sauces and marinades from Rootham’s in Guelph, and Robinson’s Maple Syrup in Auburn. Along with recipe cards throughout the store to offer tips on how to marry the condiments and the turkey into tasty dishes, the Hayter’s website has some delicious-sounding turkey recipes, like Turkey Bacon Mushroom Caps and Thai Coconut Turkey Soup, to elaborate on the theme that this bird is not only for special occasions anymore. Even as you choose between white or dark meat at the holiday dinner table, don’t forget the numerous meal options for the rest of the year from Hayter’s Farm.
