Our Story

Welcome to Carvers Online! We are pleased to offer you an invitation to join us on the next journey of our life's work, bringing you the very best we have to offer, in exceptional high quality beef, that is produced and processed right here in Manitoba. 

And it truly has been a journey. Carvers Online is the newest creation of a beef value chain that can trace its roots back to a family farm started in 1959 just outside of Winnipeg MB. That family farm raised 9 kids and of course produced a whole lot of food over the years with the main product being beef. The kids grew and so did the farm, and in 1986 two of the brothers took over the farm and reorganized the ownership structure and formed Clover Spring Farms Inc. Thirty seven years later, Clover Spring Farms is still producing a whole lot of food, about 12,000,000 quarter pound beef portions a year, with the third generation of the family taking the reins. That is almost 65 years of collective experience in stewardship of the land and cattle that have provided for our lively hood and helped to feed the world. We truly feel blessed to be able say that and look forward to many more years of looking after the land and animals entrusted to our family's care. 

But the story continues. In 2004, during a very difficult period in the Canadian cattle industry, our family decided to start a small retail meat shop in Winnipeg in a an effort to gain  market stability for our product. This would also be an opportunity to test whether or not a smaller, shorter and local beef supply chain could actually work in an industry dominated by very large meat companies with a global presence. So in November of that year, The Carvers Knife, Winnipeg's Finest Meat Shop,  was born. The first few years were tough, but our store and more importantly, our product was very well received by our customers and our business grew. In 2006 we expanded our sales into wholesale as well as retail which enabled us to sell our products to other meat shops, grocery stores and restaurants within Winnipeg and surrounding area. And again our business grew. In 2008 we purchased the abattoir that was doing the primary processing of our cattle at the time, which gave us the responsibility of managing all aspects of the beef supply chain right from the farm to the customer. In later years a wholesale distribution warehouse center was added which expanded our market for high quality Manitoba beef right across Canada. We have also shortened our name a bit and today the Carvers brand is trusted to provide you with beef and other protein products of the highest quality at great value in both retail and wholesale markets. 

But there's more. In 2011, recognizing the need for more local capacity in terms of primary cattle harvest and processing., we began to make plans to build a much larger facility that would benefit all the cattle producers of Manitoba and create substantial economic benefits within the Province as well. This proved to be an almost insurmountable hill to climb and the obstacles and challenges were huge. But, we persevered, and with the help of many others, particularly our investment shareholders, True North Foods began operations in December of 2015 as Manitoba's only Federally Inspected Ruminant slaughter facility. True North Foods has also experienced rapid growth and it has become a significant player in the Canadian beef industry as a trusted supplier of ground beef and other beef products for most major Canadian retail chains. True North Foods is also a significant benefit to the local Manitoba economy with close to 100 people  being employed directly and many other indirect benefits as well. Currently True North Foods is undergoing an expansion which will provide even more market access for Manitoba cattle as well as increase our ability to provide safe, high quality, food for customers throughout Manitoba and Canada.

And now we hope to continue this journey with you. With Carvers Online, it is our hope that you will give us the opportunity to offer our very best in terms of product, value, and integrity right through from Clover Spring Farms to True North Foods to Carvers Online. 

From my family to yours,

Calvin Vaags

Founder and President / CEO of:

Carvers, Clover Spring Farms, and True North Foods.