(submitted photo/Canadian Organic Spice and Herb Co. Inc.)

By Ben Tompkins

Achieving Business Excellence (ABEX) Awards

Watson business wins provincial export award

Nov 9, 2022 | 10:15 AM

A local company recently won the highest award for a Saskatchewan business.

Canadian Organic Spice and Herb from Watson won the Achieving Business Excellence (ABEX) Award in the Export Award category, which was sponsored by the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP).

STEP was also the one who nominated them.

Canadian Organic Spice and Herb manager, Colleen Haussecker told northeastNOW they were thrilled to win the award.

“To be recognized among some other really great nominees that were in our category as well, we’re quite excited about,” she said.

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The export award goes to companies that are exporting across and outside of Canada, while also establishing developed markets.

Canadian Organic Spice and Herb supplies products in the U.S., Australia, Vietnam and Japan.

The awards banquet was celebrated in Saskatoon this past weekend, however, due to the erratic conditions, they were unable to make it and had to watch over the live stream.

Despite not being able to receive the award in person, Haussecker explained it didn’t dampen their spirits.

“It’s always nice to gather together and be able to recognize that your hard work has paid off. We haven’t had lots of gatherings in the last few years, so it’s kind of special that way as well,” she said.

The company manufactures a full line of organic spices, herbs, seasoning, oats, soup bases and coating mixes.

It is described as “healthy versions of your favourite foods.”

And while it may surprise some how a small town like Watson can house a company that exports nationally and internationally, according to Haussecker, it proves business can be done virtually anywhere.

“We’re at the crossroads of two major highways, right here, so we can ship quite easily. We have lots of industries within a 20-mile radius of us here, which means we have lots of freight carriers going in and out all the time,” she said.

“Sometimes rural Saskatchewan isn’t recognized for what it is all possible to do and have in a smaller community. It just shows the world that you don’t need to be in a large center to have a manufacturing business,” she said.

Haussecker is involved with Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (WESK) as an ambassador of the official Woman-Owned Saskatchewan Business brand identity.

Through this initiative, local majority woman-owned businesses can now loudly and proudly be identified, making it easier to support women entrepreneurs.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8