LUNENBURG, Ontario – In early July, Danny Shaver of Krazy Dan’s corner store and chipstand found out that a passion of his was under threat, namely his wieners.
Krazy Dan’s pickled wieners are well known in South Stormont and they come in four heat ranges, Mild, Medium, Hot and Wicked.
After bringing his work space up to the standards of Health Canada in July, he was told by the Ministry of Agriculture that he had to throw out 800 jars of his wieners and had to take them off of the shelves everywhere they were sold.
Shaver explained that this was a serious setback.
“I thought I had all my ducks in a row,” he said.
He explained how he got a Processing Plant License, but the Ministry of Agriculture wanted him to take it a step further.
“If you are doing any sort of canning for retail you need a Canning License,” he said.
On top of the license he also needed a production facility that met Ministry standards.
“Because I’m Krazy Dan I didn’t quit there, I built my own factory,” he explained.
In addition to passing an exam to become a Certified Meat Plant Supervisor, he also built a $70, 000 facility on his property in three months.
This facility is designed to keep things sterile and make sure that the wieners are produced to a precise standard.
The wieners are produced in a climate controlled environment, and once they are packed in the jar, they go through a two stage cooling process that quickly brings the jar down to minus 20 degrees Celsius
Once the jars are empty, they are cleaned in an powerful new dishwasher that cleans the jars with 180 degree water.
Danny Shaver feels he has persevered and is ready to bring back his famous wieners soon.
Shaver’s passion for the wieners comes from his youth. He has always lived in Lunenburg and growing up there was a local named John Hough who had legendary spicy wieners. Shaver wants to carry on that legacy and tradition in Lunenburg.
“My mission is to make Lunenburg known for its pickled wieners,” he said. “So I would like to thank everyone that has been buying pickled wieners. You are helping to keep the legacy alive.”
