How an Ontario flour mill saved an iconic Canadian hot cereal loved by northerners
CBC
Allicia Kelly had just finished up her "Hail Mary box" of Red River Cereal in October when she decided to turn to Facebook in a desperate act to see if she could find more.
The cereal had been pulled from the shelves, but she was able to get this last box from her parents' basement and wondered if, maybe, other people had some available that they didn't want — the nutty, grainy cereal is reviled as much as it is loved.
But it was from that Facebook post that she discovered Red River Cereal, the nearly 100-year-old Canadian culinary classic, was available for purchase after an approximate two-year absence thanks to an Ontario flour mill.
This came as a relief to many in the North who rely on the cereal out in the bush, including Marc Winkler, host of CBC's the Weekender.
Winkler said his heart sank in 2021 when he learned that Red River Cereal was no longer being produced.
It started when he was unable to find the product at the stores, so Winkler used his reporting skills to find out why.
He discovered that Smuckers, an American company that owned Red River Cereal at the time, discontinued the product "due to low support." They'd already stopped selling it in Canada in 2020.
Winkler said he reached out to Smuckers to inform the company there would be support if they brought the cereal back, believing he alone could keep their profits soaring. He wasn't the only northerner with this thought.
Yellowknife resident Rosanna Strong said Red River Cereal was a staple for her and her family.
Strong said she would occasionally use the cereal for baking bread or pancakes, but it was a crucial component for long trips on the land.
She still remembers a year ago when she was looking for some to bring on a long canoe trip.
Strong checked each store in town, including her "go-to" Weaver and Devore, where she was informed the tragic news — Red River Cereal was no longer being produced.
"And that's when I was brought to my knees in tears," she said with a laugh.
This is a far cry from how she felt about the cereal when she first tried it as a pre-teen.
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The new Ontario Line will include protective barriers at all stations to separate platforms from the tracks, something the Toronto Transit Commission has been considering adding to its subway system for years.
This First Person column is the experience of Andrew Stetson, a writer and storyteller in P.E.I. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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