Chirp heard around Manitoba: RM sells building for $1 to cricket farm entrepreneur

One dollar doesn’t stretch very far these days, but apparently it’s enough to buy a business in Benito.

Just ask Stuart Matheson, 27, who recently purchased a former café for less than most people pay for coffee.

He plans to open a cricket farm and pet supply store in the rural hamlet, which is located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of Swan River, near the Saskatchewan border.

“I do think there is a big potential for insect farming in general. It’s pretty niche right now, but when things scale up I think it will be a pretty competitive industry,” Matheson said Friday.

“I’m really excited, I’m really looking forward to seeing this come together.”

There is no way for people living in the area to purchase live crickets without driving several hours or having them shipped — with the hope they arrive alive.

The insects are commonly used as feed for pets, including lizards and chickens. Scientists are exploring other potential applications, including for the development of alternative plastics, Matheson said.

He was one of several entrepreneurs to pitch business ideas to the council in the Rural Municipality of Swan Valley West, which listed the building for sale for $1 in October, said Reeve Bill Gade.

“When we started looking into this, I thought, ‘Well, crickets? You’re insane,’ but then I started asking around and I found all these people in Swan River who were driving two hours to Yorkton (Sask.) to get crickets and I thought, ‘Whoa, OK, I misjudged this,’” Gade said.

“It just sounded like the type of thing that’s crazy enough to work.”

The former café sat empty for several years, after its previous owners ran into financial trouble during the COVID-19 pandemic. The property went to tax sale and was purchased by the municipality, which was able to remove a nearly $100,000 lien, Gade said.

“It just sounded like the type of thing that’s crazy enough to work.”

A building inspector reviewed the property and identified some structural concerns, including a leak in the roof. Council considered demolishing the building, but learned that could cost up to $50,000, Gade said.

He devised the plan to sell the building at a bargain price, hoping to save it from demolition and create a new business for the community. The spot has been home to several ventures over more than four decades, including a bakery and a bar, Gade said.

Matheson’s proposal beat out others from across the province, including a plan to launch another restaurant, and a proposal to introduce a recreational space with arcade games and snacks, Gade said.

The deal was settled in November, but the legal process is ongoing and the land title has not yet been transferred to Matheson. In the meantime, the municipality has allowed him to lease the building for $1, so he can get started on repairs and renovations, Gade said.

Matheson said he plans to create a small storefront to sell pet food and a storage area to keep other supplies, which will be shipped elsewhere in northern Manitoba. The rest of the building will be used to farm crickets.

Thousands of the insects can be bred in cardboard habitats and stored inside containers, which are then placed on racks in a climate-controlled environment. Matheson compared the cricket farm to something like a beehive.

Renovations will include repairing the roof and flooring, installing new walls and other odds and ends, he said.

Once completed, the cricket farm and pet food store will join several other new businesses in Benito.

Over the past three years, a new heavy duty mechanic shop has opened, a local agricultural manufacturer expanded and an existing hotel underwent major renovations. The municipality also completed construction on a new splash park last fall, Gade said.

“This is what small towns can do to get themselves going: be different, be interesting, get people talking,” he said. “Benito now, all of a sudden, is booming.”

Matheson said he hopes to complete repairs and renovations on the building before the end of 2026, with the business set to open sometime next year.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca