 In 1958, Sikko and Aultje Oegema and their seven children made the long journey to immigrate to Elgin County from the Netherlands. They purchased a farm just outside of present day St. Thomas in Talbotville, and together they began their farming venture in Canada. They started off by raising some hogs and growing tomato and sugar beet crops, and in 1959 they began raising turkeys, and over the years their sons Heiko and Tom grew the turkey and cropping aspect of the farm. On December 5, 1992, the Oegema family officially opened The Turkey Shoppe, an on-farm store where they could offer customers fresh turkey products direct from the farm. In 2004, Heiko's sons Mike and Wayne took over the turkey operation. "We actually converted an old workshop [to create The Turkey Shoppe on the farm]," Mike's wife Annie explained. "It was just a workshop before. Then in 1996 we put an addition on that added more production space, as well as cooler and freezer space. We've always been at the same original farm location from 1958, the buildings have just changed a little bit over time." Like many multi-generational farms, the Oegema family farm has undergone some changes over its three generations of operating. "In the late 80's there was a lot of innovation and general improvements in cropping," Annie explained as we chatted over the phone. "And so my husband Mike was working on the farm, but they were finding that it was going to be harder and harder to keep the third generation on the farm. They wanted to diversify to enable him to stay on the farm." This, along with other factors, resulted in gradual changes on the farm. "We raised turkeys for 65 years from 1959 until December 2024," said Annie. "Christmas 2024 was the last flock we raised and shipped for harvest." 65 years of turkey farming is no small feat, and their connection with the turkey industry, along with their passion for quality meat, products, and service for their customers didn't stop because of change. "We have always worked very closely with Hayter's Farm up in Dashwood, ON," Annie explained. "For all the birds we raised, they always went to Hayter's to be harvested and processed, and then we got back the cuts we needed. When we had birds but weren't shipping, we would buy meat from Hayter's, and now we still work very closely with them to get the same quality meat we've always had [for The Turkey Shoppe]." Now the original home farm grows corn, soy beans, and wheat, while The Turkey Shoppe continues to offer quality fresh and frozen local turkey products, the bulk of which are handmade in their production space on the farm. Since opening in 1992, The Turkey Shoppe has become a staple across St. Thomas and Elgin County. "Originally, Mike was the only employee at The Turkey Shoppe, and the store was only open 3 days a week. But over the years we have grown, our product line has expanded, and now we are open 6 days a week with 7 full and part-time employees," Annie said with a smile. "And we've been coming to the Horton Farmers' Market since 2009." The Turkey Shoppe's mission is the same as it was back in 1992 - to provide good quality, interesting, and flavourful turkey products that people can incorporate into their diet on a daily basis, not just on holidays and special occasions. "Turkey is great for the holidays, and that is a huge part of our business, but we really want people to start thinking of turkey as an everyday option, and we want to give them delicious and healthy ways of doing that," said Annie. Turkey meat boasts great health benefits. It is one of the most protein-dense, lean, and versatile offerings you can put on the table. "It's high in protein, low in fat, and is actually the only protein that has been considered a superfood," explained Annie. "It's just all-around a really amazing quality protein." It delivers eight essential amino acids, is great at absorbing flavours, and is incredibly adaptable - from ground turkey to turkey bacon, sausages, pepperettes, burgers, breasts, and more, the possibilities are truly endless. If you've ever visited the Horton Farmers' Market during market day on Saturday mornings, you've likely seen a sampling of the wide variety of product options offered by The Turkey Shoppe at their staple spot inside the historic market building. From fresh ground turkey to seasoned breasts, flavoured burgers, sausages, meatloaf, and more - The Turkey Shoppe excels in offering a large range of delicious turkey products perfect for every meal and occasion. "We make our ground turkey, schnitzel, sausages, burgers, bacon wrapped medallions, and meatloaf fresh weekly," explained Annie. "And we also do some cooking. We have our soup, chili, and Shepard's pie, and then our chefs make a feature each week that customers can find at the Horton Farmers' Market and at The Turkey Shoppe farm store. We also have fresh cuts like breast meat, thigh meat, and some marinated cuts. The list goes on, lots and lots!" Everything except for their smoked products are made in The Turkey Shoppe, on the original farm property. "The smoked products we buy in or get custom made. Some of it comes from Hayter's Farm up in Dashwood, but things like our pepperettes, kielbasa, and jerky is all made by Evelyn's Sausage Kitchen in nearby Shedden," Annie said. "We bring them the meat and they make it for us." When it comes to coming up with certain marinades and flavours, Annie explained that the The Turkey Shoppe team does a lot of research and development to give customers and idea of what dishes and flavours they can make with the versatile meat. "Some of it is just our own favourite recipes from home that we make, some of it is requested by customers, and some ideas come from looking at other protein dishes to see how we can adapt and make it work with turkey," Annie said with a smile. "Take our pulled turkey as an example. We looked at pulled pork recipes and worked to tweak and adapt the idea to work with turkey." Some of The Turkey Shoppe recipes are rooted in family and home cooking, like Annie's meatloaf recipe, and the soups which were a collaborative effort between Annie and her mom, and some are the product of the creative chefs they've had over the years. "[Our chefs] are just a endless wealth of ideas and knowledge. They are constantly thinking of new things, or they go out and see something they want to try and replicate or put a spin on. They are so creative," Annie proudly explained. Some products, like their turkey meatballs, have a deeper backstory, one which teaches us that sometimes doing the things we don't want to do results in something great (even if we need a little push and encouragement to do it). "We had a customer who had asked could you make a meatball, and I was a little grumpy about it," Annie laughed. "I didn't want to make a meatball, but they kept asking, and I just said fine! So I began searching for recipes and researching, and I found one with some interesting ingredients in it. I thought, find, I'm going to make meatballs and I'll follow this idea and put cinnamon in them. And they have become such a huge seller for us! It's actually a story I love. Some of the best ideas come up in a backwards kind of way. It really wasn't something I wanted to try and do, but it was part of the process, and it wouldn't have happened with our customers encouragement and support. They got the ball rolling."  For The Turkey Shoppe and many other farmers and vendors, the customers make all the hard work worth it. "When I'm at the Horton Farmers' Market, especially if I've been away for a while, it feels so good because I just get to connect with so many people who have been a part of our life. They feel like family," Annie said with a smile. "They've been a part of our life and have been for years. I find that, for myself because I have been here the longest, each year when we take orders at holidays there are more and more names I recognize from years of faithful ordering. It's hard to describe, because it's something you don't necessarily see until you experience it. That's one of the best parts of coming to the Horton Farmers' Market. The connection with the customers and the atmosphere that we get to do that in. It's just another amazing way to be a part of the community, and another way of actually being in the city with other farmers and vendors at a meeting place for the community to come together." The next time you are planning out your dinner options for the week, try adding some turkey into the rotation! From summer favourites like burgers, sausages, grilled thighs and breasts, to heartier soups, pastas, and more, fresh and local turkey is an amazing protein to add into your diet. Feeling stuck or uninspired? Make sure you are following them on Facebook and Instagram to see what their weekly specials are, and don't be afraid to ask Annie or any of the wonderful workers at The Turkey Shoppe for inspiration - they have plenty of suggestions and tried and true crowd pleaser recipes!
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