The Commissary roars back

A popular corner store/deli in Thunder Bay, the Commissary is a third-generation business that’s been turning out top-quality smoked meats, including sausage, bacon, ribs and ham, for more than 75 years. But, in May 2012, the unthinkable happened. Broken sewage lines caused by a flood left the Commissary’s basement processing plant in ruins. The four family owners cut staff and continued to run the Commissary as a local corner store, but they knew they had to rebuild quickly or go out of business. “When we saw the extent of the damage, we wondered how we were going to recover,” says co-owner Roseanne Lauro. They turned to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and it came through. “The NOHFC really helped us get on our feet again,” says Lauro. Within ten months, the family had built, equipped and opened a brand new, $500,000 processing facility that’s enabled them to keep, and expand, the business, hire back all the employees and create a few more jobs.