Whether enjoyed immediately in the form of flavorful salads and homemade pies… or saved for later by filling your freezer or cold room… fresh produce is hard to beat.
Skyline Fruits, formerly Western Fruit Truck, has been operating in Swift Current for 38 seasons and is currently owned by Eric Lautsch. Working hard to maintain the level of quality and reliability that his predecessors established, Lautsch is now in his fourth season of bringing fresh flavours to Swift Current.
“A lot of the customers that have supported it over the last 38 years continue to come,” Lautsch shares. “It’s always exciting for the first few weeks that we’re open, seeing those people come back.”
Passionate about small businesses, product quality, food preservation, and supporting local, Lautsch is looking forward to another season with his clients and suppliers.
“I’ve always like fresh fruit, canned fruit, any kind of processing. Dehydrating as well. So having the accessibility of the produce at hand helps our family have produce all year round, as well as make it so we can share with others.”
Skyline Fruits has longstanding connections with orchards and farmers across the country, with most located throughout western Canada.
“There are a few things that we source further than that,” he shares. “We’ve dealt with one orchard in Washington for almost 20 years, so we’re dealing with a person, not a corporation. As soon as BC produce is ready, we start in on the BC farms.”
Once produce arrives, Eric and his team hand-sort every bundle, bushel, and peck. Anything not fit for the fruit stand is canned or dehydrated. Lautsch enjoys experimenting with preservation, concocting jams and salsas based on his own whims as well as requests from his clientele. Current fan favourites include their canned cherries and peach salsa.
“We enjoy making it last, give it a second life where possible.”
From avoiding corporations in favour of working with small agricultural establishments… to hand-sorting each and every piece of produce to ensure maximum quality in every pound sold… the passion and care that Lautsch has for his work is clear to the customers that shop his shelves.
One special Skyline Fruits feature is their delivery service. Here, customers sign up for weekly produce deliveries, and Skyline Fruits will hand-deliver straight to homes and workplaces.
“Once I confirm what I’m going to have the following week, I send out an email to the people who have [signed up], and then they reply and pay before the weekend. So Monday morning, I can get everything ready, figure out how much fits into each dollar amount, and fill up a bag.”
Deliveries across Swift Current happen on Tuesdays between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. While this service gained popularity during the pandemic, it is now only a small percentage of the business compared to foot traffic. This service has room to grow, reach out if you’re interested in more info!
The Skyline Fruits season follows the harvest, running from June until September, and Lautsch sends thanks to both his supporters and his suppliers, noting that he trusts no one else to provide the quality his shoppers have rightly come to expect.
“I appreciate it because we know their quality. It's having those trusted suppliers, and knowing the quality of what we'll be getting without seeing it- it’s very important to know that I can then pass that quality on.”
Find Skyline Fruits By Uncle Eric at 105 North Service Road East, right beside the Canadian Tire Gas Bar, or follow them on social media.