A new option for purchasing bulk foods is coming to the Crowsnest Pass.

Jasmine McCue and her husband are opening The Crowsnest Pantry.

“We're going to have a full range of conventional, organic and gluten free dry goods. We'll also have a full range of refill cleaning supplies and personal care products. We also plan to have a fridge stocked with fresh vegetables. Other things we'll have include the Rebel BBQ Sauce, I'm hoping that Country Encounters puts some frozen soups and premade meals in our freezers. The Rebel BBQ people are also putting gluten free baked goods and other things in the fridge and freezers. I'm hoping the store will just be an awesome place for people in the Crowsnest Pass the get reasonably priced and affordable dry goods and be able to access and source those local products.”
The idea for this store began a few years ago.

"We actually started a couple years ago as a non profit community group. We met once a month and people brought their own containers and we had scales all around the room and people came in and filled up their own containers. We used to charge a membership fee. It was massively popular."

McCue says the original idea for the store came from her wanting specific items.

"I wanted a large amount of organic oats and there just isn't anywhere in the Crowsnest Pass you can get a large amount of organic oats. I started recognizing that there wasn't anywhere in the Crowsnest Pass where you could get affordably priced dry goods like nuts and seeds, dry fruits and oats and all these things in any kind of quantity or at any decent price point."

McCue says the whole idea for the store came from seeing a need in the community.

"My friend and I were recognizing that there are all these empty buildings in the Crowsnest Pass so we thought what could we do to bring something valuable to the Crowsnest Pass? We floated a lot of ideas and rested on the bulk barn idea. The idea for the Pantry was born from there. We recognized the need for this kind of business in the Pass."

McCue says she simply created the store because she saw a need and also wanted the benefits that came along with having this type of store in the Crowsnest Pass.

McCue says there are no set dates for opening but she hopes to have online orders available ahead of a full store opening.

"I'm hoping to be open for online orders sometime early this summer and then we hope to have the full store open sometime later this year."

McCue says that they will advertise more when they know the official launch dates for both online and in store shopping.

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