Since launching five years ago, the company has introduced four dry bean blends to its product line: Northern Classic Chili, Tortilla Soup Fiesta, Pea Soup, and Loco Burrito. Owner Suzan Stupak partnered with Prairie Research Kitchen in 2021 to develop a new gluten-free, vegan product. She also wanted to engage students in creating new recipes that would promote the consumption of beans, which we share in the following pages.

Stak Co. has been a “labour of love” for Suzan. She says she inherited her love of feeding people from her grandmother, “an incredible woman who always made everyone around her feel special.” Suzan learned at an early age how to cook nutritious meals from scratch to help her father cope with dietary restrictions and manage health issues. She shared her story as a featured speaker in the Indigenous Food Business Stories webinar we launched in 2021.

Stak Co.’s focus on pre-packaged pulse products emerged from market research highlighting the fact that consumers want to add more pulses to their diets for their health benefits, but don’t know how to cook them. That was a gap Suzan knew she could fill. Stak Co. products are now available at Safeway, Sobeys, IGA, Food Fare, Miller’s Meats, and other retail locations. Suzan has also partnered with the North West Company to deliver Stak Co. products to consumers in northern communities where access to nutritious food products can be a challenge.