cinnawin today
Today Cinnawin's products can be found in close to 50 retailers across Saskatchewan with over 2,000 jars being manufactured each month. Cinnawin is the biggest producer, distributor, and manufacturer of cinnamon spread in Canada. Although there is much growth that needs to happen, its important to remember where this all started.
2019
In 2019 I had a conversation with a friend about things we loved from our childhood. I mentioned cinnamon spread. He said he hadn't tried it so we drove around looking for it in various grocery stores with no luck. I later found out that cinnamon spread had been discontinued and was no longer available. I decided to make my own recipe and share it with friends and family.
I wondered if anyone else was missing cinnamon spread like I was so I decided to sell it at the upcoming Montgomery garage sale in Saskatoon. After selling out at the garage sale it seemed I has struck a chord with people. I heard things like "I miss this stuff" or "I can't believe they got rid of this"
It didn't take long until Homestyle Cinnamon Spread was available at its first retailer, The Hobnobber in Saskatoon. Sales continued to climb as more and more local retailers agreed to carry Homestyle Cinnamon Spread in their stores such as J&J Sausage.
2020
Despite Covid restrictions Homestyle Cinnamon Spread continued to sell. Homestyle Cinnamon Spread also became available at the Warman and Martensville Farmers Markets, and the Everything Country Outdoor Market. As well as new retailers such as SaskMade, Dalmeny Asvey Mart, and PS Liquor & Market. On Dec 2, 2020 Cinnawin Food Company (previously known as Homestyle Cinnamon Spread) officially became a registered sole-proprietorship. The name "Cinnawin" made its debut as the brand that all its products such as Homestyle Cinnamon Spread would be sold under.
2021
2021 was a big year for Cinnawin with rapid expansion to more parts of Saskatchewan. Cities and towns such as Regina, Outlook, Lumsden, Rosthern, Moose Jaw, Craik, and Southey got their Homestyle Cinnamon Spread fix. New products were introduced such as the medium and large sizes for Homestyle Cinnamon Spread, Butter Cinnamon Spread, and Coconut Cinnamon Spread. Although not all the new products were hits *cough *cough Coconut Cinnamon Spread. The different sizes of Homestyle Cinnamon Spread and Butter Cinnamon Spread remain a staple in the current product lineup. Experimentation was also done with Homestyle Cinnamon Spread in an effort to make it shelf-stable but alas the Margarine base remained until late 2022.
2022
2022 has been the biggest year yet for Cinnawin as it managed to attract the attention of national grocery store chains such as Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, and Superstore. Despite the rapid expansion and growth in sales I remained committed to the local retailers that helped bring Cinnawin to the point it was at. Cinnawin also moved to its new headquarters, 680 Service road in Osler. New equipment was purchased such as a commercial mixer which sped up the manufacturing time, unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep up with the new found demand Cinnawin was facing. It became clear that things needed to change as products needed to be made faster then ever.
2023-present
In 2023 major changes were made to ensure acceptable wait times for retailers. These changes included hiring food production workers, switching to glass jars which could be used with an automated filling machine. decreasing the amount of labels that needed to be applied to each jar. All of these changes resulted in a much quicker production time which shortened the wait times by nearly half. There is still much work that needs to be done but I remain optimistic about the future of this business and its growing ability to develop and manufacturer new and exciting products, roll with the economic punches of its time, and continue to be a leader in the cinnamon spread industry.
