Manitoba staples marking milestone anniversaries

Mordens' of Winnipeg first opened its doors in 1959. (Source: Mordens' of Winnipeg)

Two Manitoban snacking staples – Old Dutch Ltd. and Mordens’ are celebrating a combined 135 years in business in Winnipeg.

The potato chip company started in Minnesota and has been in the city for 70 years, while Mordens’ chocolates marks 65 years.

A can of Old Dutch potato chips. (Source: Cathy Laughlin/Etsy)

Blake and Shirley Morden first opened the chocolate shop in 1959. The original location was a small storefront on Portage Avenue, but it moved to its current location on Sargent Avenue soon after.

“A lot of things have stayed the same,” Mariel Morden-Miller, Mordens’ general manager, said, “Like the most popular product in the 1960s, is still the same today because those classic flavours endure.”

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Morden-Miller is also the granddaughter of the store’s founders, and they’ve continued to learn as much as possible and create new recipes.

Though many things have changed over the last 65 years, some have stayed consistent, like their famous Russian Mints.

Over the years, the chocolate maker has continued to expand, adding a second storey and an extension to its building to increase production capacity.

Mordens' of Winnipeg's chocolate covered almonds. (Source: Mordens' of Winnipeg)

Food “part of connection to your hometown”: Professor

“[Food] becomes part of your connection to your hometown or your home province,” said Janis Thiessen, a professor of history at the University of Winnipeg, who researches and teaches food history.

“I think it can be a point of pride for folks that, you know, ‘I eat this, I don’t eat that.’ It’s one of the ways that you conceive of yourself as both an individual and as part of a collective.”

Thiessen explained it’s rare for local businesses to have lasted so long as there has been a lot of consolidation in food manufacturing since the 1980s.

“There’s some long-existing businesses with long histories like that, but there aren’t many,” Thiessen said.

Thiessen noted that Mordens’ of Winnipeg is a true rarity as it’s a third-generation business.

Mordens' sweet treats that were first made popular in the 1960s continue to be a staple today. (Source: Mordens' of Winnipeg)

“There are very few businesses of any kind in North America that are family-owned and make it to the third generation,” she said. “So that’s one way in which it stands out.”

She added that it’s also uncommon for a successful business to stay in the same location throughout its operation rather than move to a bigger headquarters.

“The West End, in the last couple of years, had some challenges certainly. The pandemic made those harder,” Thiessen said.

“There’s been a lot of business that have closed in this neighbourhood during the pandemic, but Mordens’ just keeps trucking along.” 

An assorted box of chocolate from Mordens' of Winnipeg. (Source: Mordens' of Winnipeg)

Morden-Miller said running a business does come with challenges, but the fact that they have worked as a family has made it so they can take on any curveballs.

She noted that working for Mordens helps her feel connected to her family's past generations, adding that when you support a local business, you’re “supporting a family’s dream.”

“If you take the time to go visit a local business, a lot of the time, you’re speaking directly to the person who has made the product by hand. They care deeply about the product,” Morden-Miller said.

“They’ll remember your face. They’ll appreciate every single time you come in to visit their store.”

Thiessen said that Mordens’ chocolates have become a tradition for many Winnipeggers, especially their Russian mints.

Mordens' of Winnipeg's Russian mints. (Source: Mordens' of Winnipeg)

“It’s the thing you need to have a box of at Christmas, or it’s not really Christmas,” she said.

“Some of those foods take on these iconic status because people have managed to connect them to rituals within their families.

Morden-Miller said the key to her family’s long-lasting success is that they never give up.

“[My grandfather] has said this to me time and time again, and it has really, really helped, especially when things get tough and that to just keep going,” she said. “Don’t give up, just keep going.”

Mixed nuts from Mordens' of Winnipeg. (Source: Mordens' of Winnipeg)