'A sense of duty': The Pig and Pantry's nose-to-tail approach means a butchery stocked with sustainable meat

This story originally published on May 23, 2023.

At the Pig and Pantry in Saskatoon, smoked deli ham, pork tenderloin and hand-crafted sausage might come from the same animal.

"We can utilize all the parts," said Jordan Lohneis, the owner of the craft butchery at 523 20th St. W. "We can make good things out of the bones — we make a really good bone broth — and out of the skin, we make pork rinds."

The Pig and Pantry sources whole animals and follows a nose-to-tail philosophy, where as much of the animal is used as possible. So, you'll find classics like pork chops and sirloin steaks, as well as beef liver and black pudding.

"It's important, especially nowadays: you shouldn't be wasting anything that you can use. It's almost a sense of duty," Lohneis said.

He sources animals from Saskatchewan farms — from the steaks to the skewers, to everything you might need to build a charcuterie board.

"A lot of folks come for the sausage," said Lohneis, who offers 15 to 20 varieties at any given time. Their most popular is a smoked mushroom and cheddar sausage. Other favourites include Thai, Italian and maple bacon. 

They also make a long list of products in-house, like deli meats, and ready-to-eat meals, such as pork ragu, meatballs and chili. 

A chef's approach to butchery

Lohneis credits his background as a chef for giving him a knack for creating new recipes that utilize all parts of the animal.

He started his career in the kitchen, working in restaurants overseas and in Saskatoon, including Ayden Kitchen and Bar. He said he developed his whole animal butchery skills during that time.

"I was in London, England, and it was almost expected. It was the way of life where you'd get in whole birds and break them down and use them," he said.

It was while living and working in Saskatoon, though, that he got the idea for the Pig and Pantry.

"I wanted to get a nice pork chop or a couple of nice sausages, and I really couldn't find it," he said.

He remembered thinking, "There's got to be a need for it — and that's really how it grew."

When Lohneis started the Pig and Pantry in 2015, he rented kitchens and sold his products at farmers' markets. Once it was clear there was a growing interest in Saskatoon for craft butchery, he opened the brick-and-mortar store in 2019. 

Local to the core

Part of what Lohneis aims to do at the Pig and Pantry is to make locally-raised meat more accessible.

"You could always get local meat, but sometimes one of the few options — especially in Saskatchewan, a big, spread out province — [was to] buy half a pig from a farmer and you get it cut and wrapped. You might get roast, steak and you really don't know anything else about it, and you're expected to figure it out from there," he said. "Well, we figure it out."

Lohneis works with 10 small farms in Saskatchewan, most of which use regenerative agricultural practices, which seek to rehabilitate and conserve the entire ecosystem of a farm, and raise their animals on pasture. 

For these farms, selling to the Pig and Pantry has a reciprocal benefit. 

"A lot of these farmers do a great job, but they've never had a market for their animals. They didn't know how to sell it or how to get it [out to customers], so we kind of act as middleman in that sense," Lohneis said. 

That benefit trickles down the line.

"Most people who do come in say how much they notice the difference — the difference of just well-raised meat or the difference in a well-made sausage," Lohneis said. "To me, that is justifying: it means that what you're doing shows a little bit."