Freson Bros.

My first “My 2 Cents” Blog, I took a shot at an exceptionally large corporation on some rather unethical practices. Today I want to talk about one of the good guys. Freson Brother Fresh Markets.

Here is a little history that I took from their website.

“Our founders, Frank Lovsin and Frank Resek, opened Freson Bros. as a small butcher shop in Hinton, Alberta in 1955. Just one year later, the shop already needed to grow to keep up. The owners soon realized that their commitment to home-grown quality could be expanded well beyond meat. Shelves were soon stocked with Alberta produce and fresh baking. Since that first store opened, Freson Bros. has grown to be a trusted member of Alberta’s communities.” – https://www.freson.com/about/

Freson Brothers has 17 locations in Alberta, I am fortunate enough to shop at the Stony Plain. Once you walk into this store it is not like your traditional corporate grocery store, friendly staff that want to help. Real Butchers, Bakers, and Chefs are true tradespeople who want to provide excellent quality food items.

What do I know that the average person would not know? Well, growing up my father was a grocery store manager for 37 years. I was fortunate to work in the business at 14, while going to high school then transferred into the bakery while attending culinary school, I also spent 3 months in a butcher’s program. I can walk into a store and usually can tell a well-run operation. Freson Brothers operates a well-run store.

The prices can be a little higher than the big box stores, but they have a lot of great specials. But the quality and service make it up (my 2 cents).

Walking into the Stony Plain Store, it has a nice display area with the weekly specials.

The next area is the produce section where they focus on local items. One of the neat things they have is an active cellar room to keep all root vegetables at peak optimum storage temperature.  They have fresh fruits available for children while their parent shop. I great health idea.

The next area is the smokehouse and meat department. On any given day you can find 6 butcher and smokehouse personnel working, all in crisp white smocks with black hats. This week’s butcher shop special was 5 for 25 dollars. You could pick out 5 packages of over 60 varieties of meat for 25 dollars, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Sausages so many ways to mix and match. When Fresons have this sale I usually purchase between 75/100 dollars’ worth of product. Each package has enough protein to feed 2 adults. With this special, you can feed a family of 4 for under 15.00.

They also have a fresh seafood department, if the fish is not fresh, they do not sell it,how many other stores do this?

They also have a health food section that specializes in gluten-free, lactose, and other specific food items that regular grocery stores do not stock.

They have a well-stocked Candy section that brings in products from the UK and specializes in other European chocolates and sweets.

The aroma of fresh bread being baked, the hint of cinnamon in the air from the cinnamon buns baked within the last hour. Their specialty is sourdough bread, they do approximately 500 loaves a day as per bakery staff. Those who have baked Sourdough Bread know it is a timely process from start to finish and can take over 24 hours to do properly. They focus on fruit-in-season pies and muffins, and handmade tortes are found in the display cases. My Favorite(my 2 cents) is the coconut cream pie, made with real heavy cream and coconut milk.

The deli is solid with local charcuterie and house-made items; I would say the deli only lacks Italian Center Shops. A broad selection of Canadian and imported cheeses. In-house items include homemade soups and sauces

They also have a full-on pizza shop that makes grab and go pizzas and sandwiches. A self-serve breakfasts/Lunch/Supper restaurant and a Hot Kitchen for meals to go such as fried chicken, ribs, and roast dinners to go with all the trimmings. They have weekly specials in the hot kitchen.

Getting through the cash register is a breeze with all lanes open along with baggers to bag your groceries…. What a concept a grocery store that sells high-quality local items with service.

Fresons has 4 locations in the Edmonton Area, if you are from the Edmonton Area check them out, you won’t be disappointed, great quality groceries and great service at competitive prices for an independent grocer

This is my 2 cents.