Chips, meet puffs: Yukon farm enters the salty snack business with latest product

The inspiration for Yukon company Hinterland Flour Mill's new salty puff snack? Your grocery cart.

"We spend a lot of time in grocery stores, re-stocking, and we've seen what people are going for," said Trevor Amiot, who co-owns the company with his wife.

One of the things he saw Yukoners grabbing — no fuss, no prep snack food.

"People like grabbing their favourite bag of chips or their cheezies and having that instant gratification," said Amiot. 

"So we were like, how can we do something with our product?"

Hinterland Flour Mill started creating and selling flour products during the COVID-19 pandemic, using grains grown on their Yukon farm. They were known mostly for products like their brownie and pancake mixes, and their whole grain flour — not salty snacks.

Then one night while surfing the internet, Amiot came across a machine that could take their ground wheat and barley, and turn it into a puff product.

He placed the order. But he soon realized they would need some help making the product a reality.

After some more searching he eventually found the Agri-Food Innovation Centre in Saskatchewan, which specializes in helping farmers commercialize new food products.

"They were pumped about the project," said Amiot. "They had never used wheat and barley to make a puff product, so they were so excited."

Soon after, Amiot was off to the Prairies, where he helped test different flavours under the watch of food centre staff.

Eventually he settled on four flavours for his new product: barbecue, sour cream and onion, salt and vinegar, and cheddar cheese.

Then, he said, it was time for a name.

"We know the marketing piece for any of our products is focusing on it being made and grown in the Yukon," said Amiot. 

"I was looking at the product and thinking it has a curl."

They ended up putting those two things together for the name Yukon Curls.

Amiot said that while farming is stressful, its also rewarding, especially seeing how proud his kids are of Hinterland Flour Mill.

"We always wanted to be able to feed our community," he told CBC.  "When someone comes up to us in the grocery store and tells us how much they love our product, that's what keep you going."

Yukon Curls are now available in Whitehorse grocery stores and some Yukon gas stations.