VG Blog

At VG Meats, we’ve always been passionate about holistic management, regeneration and creating a stronger local food system here in Canada. On Thursday, April 3rd, we invite you to join us for a webinar that will teach you more about where your food comes from, how it’s produced and why all of this matters to Canadians. Please read on for details, or contact us if you have any questions! We’d be glad to hear from you.

VG Meats is pleased to introduce our new Canadian value packs. Choose from lean ground beef, medium ground beef or our amazing ground beef and pork blend. Available in store only, these delicious products are being offered at approximately 60% off their regular retail price.

Grab your favourite green sweater—St. Patrick’s Day is this Monday, March 17th! We may not be Irish ourselves (did the name Van Groningen tip you off?) but we love a family celebration featuring lots of delicious, high quality, shareable local food. Here are five delicious meal ideas for St. Patrick’s Day—green beer and shamrock glasses optional.

We’ve always been thankful to customers who choose to shop from local, independent businesses like VG Meats—your support means everything to our team and our family, and allows us to contribute to stronger local food systems here in Ontario. As the issue of buying Canadian has taken on new meaning in recent weeks, we wanted to share an overview of our products and highlight just how many of them come from your own backyard. We’ll get into details below, but in short: over 90% of our products are Canadian, and more than 95% of our meat is local.

Here are some delicious spring BBQ essentials from VG Meats. All of these products are raised on Ontario farms using holistic management to achieve regenerative outcomes in communities like yours. This contributes to healthier local ecosystems, economies and families—that’s something to feel good about!

Now more than ever, VG Meats is proud to offer delicious, high quality products from local and Canadian suppliers. These products complement our own line of products—Ontario beef, pork, poultry and more—allowing us to be a one-stop shop for customers near our Simcoe and Stoney Creek retail locations. We carry many of these products in our online store as well, making them available for pick up or home delivery. Here are a few local items we think you should know about—if you have any questions, please contact us. We’d be glad to take your call or speak with you in store!

Love is in the air! Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and on Monday, it’s Family Day in Ontario. We’re big on celebrating love in all its forms, whether it’s the love you share with your partner or the love you feel for your kids, parents, grandparents and friends. With these dates coming up fast, what better reason do you need to cook up some delicious, high quality local food to enjoy with your loved ones? Here are a few ideas to get you started—thanks and have a wonderful long weekend!

VG Meats is a family-owned and operated business that includes farmers, butchers and retailers who specialize in local food. We don’t typically discuss geopolitics on the blog, but in light of recent and ongoing events, we felt it was important to reiterate a message that’s always been critical to us: the importance of buying local.

January can feel like a long month, but we’ve reached the final stretch. Spring is less than 8 weeks away, February is almost here and there’s plenty to look forward to in the weeks ahead. If you’re looking for a good reason to gather with family and friends (or enjoy a romantic evening with your significant other), be sure to put these dates on your calendar. VG Meats has all of the delicious, high quality, local food you need to celebrate these occasions and more—we hope to see you in Simcoe or Stoney Creek soon!

Whether you live with your partner, a large family or own your own, we bet food is a significant part of your monthly budget. There are ways to spend less money at the grocery store, but that often results in lower quality products in your fridge and freezer.

Farming requires being in touch with the land, and understanding the impact our actions have on the world around us. At VG Meats, this is something we think about every single day—not just our actions, but the ripple effect those actions will have for generations to come, and what kind of legacy we’re creating for our business and family. We’re not just food producers or retailers—we’re stewards of the land with a significant responsibility. We don’t take that lightly!

January has been characteristically chilly, so we’ve been turning to cozy recipes that don’t just fill you up—they warm you up, too! Whether you’re using a slow cooker, a roasting pan or your favourite skillet, a delicious recipe can brighten any winter’s day. A classic pork tenderloin, chicken stew or beef chili is great, but there are countless options to choose from.