A Red Deer store that dealt exclusively in bison meat closed its doors for a variety of reasons, says one of the former owners.
Buffalo Cuts had been a staple inside the Jones Boys Saddlery Building on the south side of Gaetz Avenue since October 2002. On May 10, it shut down.
Carol and Harley Hawkings and Butch and Nicole Smith opened the shop in response to customer interest at farmers’ markets, where they sold their meat.
“There was a combination of reasons (for the closure),” said Carol Hawkings on Thursday.
One factor was the profitability of bison exports to the United States.
In order to keep the business lucrative here, prices would have had to rise at the Red Deer store.
Hawkings said it would have been tough to keep the store viable with higher prices.