About Us
Paul and Eleanora Vellinga became the owners of Thunder Bay’s only local abattoir in 1986. Both had grown up in the farm community and knew how crucial a local slaughter facility is to area farmers. Paul, the son of a local farmer, saw an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to local agriculture, and wanted to keep working with the people he’d grown up with. Eleanora, also a country kid, liked the idea of working closer to home, and left her office job in the city to become Thunder Bay Meat Processing’s administration and customer service rep.
From the moment they stepped into their roles as the owners of Thunder Bay’s only abattoir their primary focus has been on building and maintaining a clean, efficient operation that will sustain livestock farming operations in the Thunder Bay area for the long term.
As the local food movement has grown in popularity, the Vellingas have become more active as educators and purveyors, helping customers understand the different ways small farmers raise livestock and how this affects the final product, and working with farmers to help them hone their methods to make good local products even better. The results are plain to see: a long list of satisfied buyers and sellers. Looking to put some local meat in your freezer? Talk to Eleanora or Paul about your preferences and let them find you what you’re looking for.
Today, Thunder Bay Meat Processing is licensed by the Province of Ontario for the slaughter and further processing of beef, pork, lamb, mutton, goat and rabbit. Slaughter appointments are available once a week, and the office is open Monday through Saturday for custom meat sales.
Poultry processing is not available at this site. Please contact the next-closest facility, the Rainy River District Regional Abattoir in Emo, ON, for any poultry inquiries, at (807) 482-3028 or rrdrai@gmail.com.