Manitoba corn maze run by young siblings celebrates 5 years in business

An idea that started as a conversation around the Greniers' supper table one night has grown into a southern Manitoba attraction now in its fifth year.

King Korn opened near Notre Dame de Lourdes, a small farming community south of Portage la Prairie, in 2018. The brainchild of Justin Grenier, then 16, and his sisters Janik and Taya. 

"It was really an idea at supper that came across on what we can do as youth to bring families to our tiny community," Janik told CBC Winnipeg News at 6 host Janet Stewart.

"The idea that came was a corn maze. We started off really, really small and didn't really know what to expect. I think we're pretty proud of what we've put on for the past five years."

They've come a long way since that first year – described by the siblings as "one giant maze that frustrated many grannies and a camper with a faulty generator." Now in it's fifth season, the fall attraction features four mazes, a lookout tower, driving range, a human-sized hamster wheel and other fun activities. 

But building the maze and meeting new faces became something more for the eldest sibling, Justin. It led him down a career path. 

WATCH | Janik, Justin and Taya Grenier speak with CBC's Janet Stewart about the family's King Korn Maze:

Manitoba siblings celebrate 5 years building corn mazes

2 years ago

Duration 3:46

The Grenier family opened four mazes and other attractions earlier this month.

"I actually got into agribusiness at the [University of Manitoba] so I've really enjoyed running a business and kind of all the aspects of it," he said. "With this business, I think it's a real great eye-opener for us to kind of see what's out there and what we can do." 

He's now trying to persuade his sister Taya to do the same, while Janik has her eyes set on becoming a family physician. 

While its opening was a few weeks later than usual this year, Justin says the 2022 edition of their attraction is going well so far. 

"This is our second weekend open this year, and our first weekend went great," he said. 

"It's teamwork, it's definitely teamwork," Taya said. "You know, we see lots of points of views every day. We're not the same people and we definitely have our ups and downs together.  We've learned a lot about each other overall and that's really nice." 

The family is looking for help with its next attraction – a haunted barn with a planned opening in October.