Their successes can be seen in their now-dominant presence across the Niagara peninsula, with six retail outlets from Canboro to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and a seventh store set to open its doors in Waterford by early June.

The road to this point hasn’t been easy, especially with the market served by the feed supplier becoming more difficult with time.

But the family-owned operation’s ability to adapt to that market is a key factor in its successes to date.

“We’re always looking for ways to keep the quality in our feed at the level everyone expects, and always looking for alternative sources of ingredients,” explained regional manager Gerry Minor.

Historically, different commodities have spiked in price at different times of the year.

“If we see a product heading up, and it looks like it’s going to stay up, then we start looking for other sources of ingredients that we can put into our feed that still maintains the level of quality,” said Minor. “Otherwise, you’re falling behind.”

“We’re always in action,” added Tim Minor, who manages the mill in Canboro. “I think we’re always looking at how things can be done better. We’ve been working at positioning ourselves for years in a market and feel comfortable that we’re going to continue to do so.”

Another way Minor Bros. has adjusted to a changing market is in retail. Today, the stores not only offer feed and supplements for sows and horses, they also sell a variety of pet foods, dog and cat accessories and a full line of farm tack.

For example, the brand-new Waterford store is located downtown, between a grocery store and gas station.

“It’s a new market and it is one that is extremely under served right now,” Minor said. “Like our Niagara-on-the-Lake and Stevensville stores, it’s a more urban market, with a heavier population, and we’re really trying to encourage the consumer to shop with us, because we have all of the products that they want, too.”

As for the strategy behind fluctuating commodity pricing, it’s simple for a feed mill, said Tim Minor.

“Typically, whatever we buy it for this week, we grind it for that price, throw on a margin, and sell,” he said. “So we don’t really try to out-guess markets. There’s really no point for us to strategize. We’re in the middle. We’re not an end user of feed.”

But the necessity to adjust to markets is a skill a responsible feed supplier needs to learn to stay competitive.

“A feed mill’s like everybody else,” said Tim.

“You have to do more and be more efficient, yet take less margin per unit.”