- Story by Tess van Straaten Photography by Don Denton

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Not many people can say theyB次元官网网址檙e the big cheese. But NanaimoB次元官网网址檚 Eric McLean sure can and he has the T-shirt to prove it.

B次元官网网址淧eople get a good chuckle out of it and it helps me stand out,B次元官网网址� laughs Eric, who started McLeanB次元官网网址檚 Specialty Foods 27 years ago.

The Glasgow native was even inducted into the Guilde des Fromagers, or B次元官网网址渃heese hall of fame,B次元官网网址� five years ago. And his passion for good food is contagious.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like one of my customers said the other day B次元官网网址� lifeB次元官网网址檚 too short to eat bad cheese,B次元官网网址� Eric says.

The idea for the specialty foods store, located in NanaimoB次元官网网址檚 Old City Quarter, was actually the result of Eric and his wife, Sandy, being unable to find ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, prosciutto and good cheese when they moved to the Harbour City almost three decades ago.

B次元官网网址淲hen we moved here from Vancouver 28 years ago there was nothing,B次元官网网址� explains Eric. B次元官网网址淲e just realized there was a big hole in the market. ItB次元官网网址檚 hard to believe, but before I opened the store in 1992 you couldnB次元官网网址檛 even buy balsamic vinegar and nobody knew what San Pellegrino was.B次元官网网址�

For Eric, whoB次元官网网址檇 worked in the food industry since immigrating to Canada in 1980, opening the store B次元官网网址渉ad to be doneB次元官网网址� and he says many of his first customers had also recently moved to Nanaimo from larger cities like Vancouver and Toronto.

B次元官网网址淟ike us, theyB次元官网网址檇 moved here and couldnB次元官网网址檛 find what they were used to buying,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 promoted the store at first as a place to get hard-to-find ingredients.B次元官网网址�

With around 150 different kinds of cheese B次元官网网址� one of the largest selections on Vancouver Island B次元官网网址� as well as gourmet oils, vinegars, truffles, p芒t茅s, a delicatessen and wide assortment of Danish, British, European and South African specialty items, McLeanB次元官网网址檚 has attracted a loyal following over the years and a surprising number of new customers.

B次元官网网址淓very single day for the past 20-plus years, weB次元官网网址檝e had at least one person, and usually several, say: B次元官网网址極h this is great, weB次元官网网址檝e never been here beforeB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址楩riends told us about this place, we just moved here,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Eric says. B次元官网网址淓very single day, without a lie, so can you imagine what that does for our confidence. WeB次元官网网址檙e doing something right and the positive reinforcement has been phenomenal.B次元官网网址�

But running a small business isnB次元官网网址檛 easy. In the beginning, sourcing the products was the biggest challenge. However, now the challenge is competing with grocery and big box stores that have big buying power and are now carrying more specialty items.

B次元官网网址淚n the last three-to-five years, supermarkets have suddenly discovered things like balsamic vinegar and prosciutto,B次元官网网址� explains Eric. B次元官网网址淭he biggest challenge is supermarkets have realized specialty foods are part of a growing market. But their main motivation is price and they canB次元官网网址檛 tell you what to do with the product.B次元官网网址�

While Eric says he usually canB次元官网网址檛 compete on price, he can offer something chain stores canB次元官网网址檛 B次元官网网址� specialized service and extensive product knowledge.

B次元官网网址淲e can spend time with the customer and tell them what to do with the product, share recipes and share our experiences using it. And that has given us the edge,B次元官网网址� Eric says. B次元官网网址淚 teach my staff to get to know our customers and to treat them like theyB次元官网网址檙e important, because they are. I may sign their paycheque but I donB次元官网网址檛 pay them. I tell staff to always remember the customer pays them.B次元官网网址�

Eric says the most important lesson heB次元官网网址檚 learned in running the business has been to trust his instincts. But the best advice came decades ago, when he was still in Scotland and training in sales, from a man who would become his mentor.

B次元官网网址淗is name was George Burrows and he told me never, ever bullshit the customer because it will come back to haunt you,B次元官网网址� Eric says. B次元官网网址淲e were in a shop one time calling on a good customer heB次元官网网址檇 had for a good number of years, and the owner was going to order this and that [from us] and George told him not to order it because it wasnB次元官网网址檛 a good fit for the store. I asked George what the heck he was doing because I thought we needed every sale we could get, and he told me that if he goes back next month and itB次元官网网址檚 still sitting there on the shelf, the customer isnB次元官网网址檛 going to be happy. B次元官网网址楬eB次元官网网址檚 going to be really pissed off if I sold him something for the sake of selling something.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

The conversation has definitely stuck with Eric, whose other passion is music. HeB次元官网网址檚 been playing guitar since he was 13 years old, including a stint professionally, and is one of the co-founders of the Nanaimo Blues Festival. His other claim to fame is launching MottB次元官网网址檚 Clamato on Vancouver Island when he worked for Cadbury-Schweppes years ago.

B次元官网网址淚 learned an awful lot about product margins, how to merchandise product and how you can increase sales by moving product and repositioning it B次元官网网址� because the location of the product is really key,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 like to get a product that looks nice because basically itB次元官网网址檚 fighting for its life to get someone to pick it up. So the better or more interesting it looks, the better chance it has of finding a home.B次元官网网址�

After almost three decades in business, itB次元官网网址檚 clear Eric has found his home. But the grandfather of three isnB次元官网网址檛 planning to retire anytime soon.

B次元官网网址淧eople ask me if I have an exit strategy and I say, B次元官网网址榟ow do you spell that? WeB次元官网网址檙e going to keep on doing what weB次元官网网址檙e doing and trying to stay ahead of the curve.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

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