Doing It the Way It Should Be Done
Up at the top of the list of important attributes for successful small businesses, tied closely with a strong sense of community, is a deep understanding of product. Where what you sell, how it’s made, where it comes from, and why you chose to sell it in the first place are all back-of-the-hand knowledge shared by staff. If you’re a regular shopper of Eastside (and of course you are!), this probably resonates as a “duh” for you. You most certainly understand that Eastside, like many food co-ops, champions the local farms, producers, and makers that comprise our local food communities. We prioritize these relationships for a whole host of reasons, among them being that they are tied to the product.
But what does it mean as not only a food retailer, but also as a food producer, to be close to your product? To find out, we visited Eric Goerdt, owner and founder of Northern Waters Smokehaus in Duluth, MN. Eric, who has been in this business now since the late 1990’s, is 100% food artisan. We’re talking one-of-a-kind, true-believer level of passion for his business, his product, his employees and customers.
Growing up in Iowa as the son of parents who had their own close connections to food, Eric came to “the fish business” fairly naturally. In his own words, “I grew up cooking…I was close to the food”. Decades of fishing trips to Quetico and an eventual career in the Coast Guard shaped the trajectory that Eric was on. After spending time in Hawaii and Alaska with the Coast Guard, he eventually made his way to Duluth. While in Alaska, He had been leaning into food preservation due to the(then) abundance of proteins. When he arrived in Duluth, he invested in a smoker.
As his wife completed grad school and they started their family, he beganselling smoked fish to restaurants. Eventually, they landed in the historic Dewitt-Seitz building and opened a physical shop focused on smoked fish and cheeses. The business swiftly expanded to include smoked deli meats and sausages as well. Eric explains, “We just kind of made it a point to try and make everything.” At all points along the journey to what we know today as Northern Waters, curiosity and commitment to learn and to make have been powerful and driving forces. Eric’s curiosity led him to seeking training at Iowa State University in the “high art” of salami making. And here’s where that commitment comes to play —he had to write a variance for the retail food code to the MN Department of Agriculture proving out the safety of these centuries-old salami-making methods. Eric and his entire team take the products they make and how they make them with full seriousness, and the results show.
What is abundantly clear while talking to Eric about his business is how driven he is to do right by people. This commitment comes in equal measures for his staff, customers, and his own family. “I think that's why customers like what we do, because they get treated really well by the people who are here because they're happy people,” Eric says, reflecting on what essentially constitutes his employee philosophy. The way he explains it is very matter of fact: creating professional jobs that allow people to grow and have a sense of ownership gives employees a satisfaction, which in turn fosters positive experiences for customers. “A lot of my customers, my employees, they have been here for a very long time,” he shares. Anyone who has visited in the summer months can attest to the fact that though the line might be beastly, the care and experience is always top notch. Eric attributes much of this success to getting his staff, especially younger folks, bought into what they’re doing. “There needs to be integrity behind what they’re doing…they need to feel like they’re part of it.” he adds.
Looking back on nearly 3 decades of Northern Waters Smokehaus, we asked Eric point blank what keeps him doing this year after year. “The people,” he answered without pause. “The people that we work with, and the customers, the customer interactions, you know… the human connection.” He notes that early on he realized that for the business to be sustainable, he needed to share both the burdens and successes with an empowered staff. His collaborative approach to being an owner and manager has surely enabled him the latitude to build a business that thrives while also giving him the space to show up for his other priority: his family.
During our afternoon with Eric, we toured the production spaces, tasted smoked meats and house made salamis, and had lunch in the bustling sandwich shop. At every moment throughout our time together, Eric spoke enthusiastically and with a unique sense of pride that could only come from knowing a thing, a place, a product so well.