75th Anniversary Celebration

Beausejour Co-op is proud to celebrate 75 years of serving our members and communities! Since 1951, we’ve grown from a small local co-operative into a trusted partner for food, fuel, pharmacy, and agro needs. This milestone is more than an anniversary—it’s a celebration of the people who made it possible: our members, team, and communities.

What’s Ahead

Throughout 2026, we’ll be celebrating this special occasion with exciting promotions, giveaways, and more. Stay tuned!

Our Story

75 years ago, a small group of local farmers began the Beausejour Consumers Co-operative in a 'shed' located near the junction of Hwys 12 & 44. According to founder, Fred Small, the impetus for the co-operative movement stemmed from the Depression. Farmers were always working long hours and merchants were always open for business during these early days. However, after this time, a bylaw was passed regulating merchant's opening and closing hours, much to the detriment of farmers. With the addition of "fast time" the inconvenience to the farmer became even greater, which made the farmers very angry; angry enough to do something about it.

Assistance in the form of information and credit was obtained from Don McLean in Winnipeg and, after travelling throughout the Beausejour area, it was decided that enough had been shown to warrant establishing a co-operative store. A provisional board was then formed, with the founding members contributing $50 per share (approx. value of $600 today). Records show original board members included Archie Trapp (president), John Steffes (vice-president), Mike Morris (secretary) and Fred Small.

The original store was purchased from Archie Trapp for $450 and was relocated to an acre parcel of land purchased from Joe Sokol for the sum of $1,000. This store was located near the junctions of Highways 12 and 44 and sold groceries, oil, gas and other miscellaneous products. John Wielgosh was the first employee, filling in all the functions of manager, clerk, sweeper, etc. He was a very friendly person and people liked him so it wasn't long before the operation began to thrive. In the first year of operations, Beausejour Co-op signed up 70 members and achieved sales of $23,000.

Less than a year after moving the first store building onto the property, plans were being made for a new larger one. There was virtually no money, but members were willing to donate their time in order to receive more services from their Co-op. In May 1952, Vic Towle was appointed foreman and his main responsibility was to gather enough volunteers to do what had to be done at certain times so the store would be operational by midsummer; and it was. The opening of this new store, while quite modest, seemed to inject the community with a new enthusiasm and by August of 1952, membership had risen to 166. In the fall, the original building was sold to John Trombo for $425; a good deal considering its original purchase price of $450.

By the early 1960s, plans for a new, larger shopping center, to be situated in the center of town on Park Avenue were on the drawing boards. On March 29, 1962, the brand new food store, completely modern for its time was officially open for business.

In 1963, the farm supply department and gas bar were moved to their new location directly behind the Park Avenue food store. The department underwent a few changes as the board felt the need to decongest the store from some of its hardware lines and filled it with more confectionery.

A new bulk petroleum plant was also completed at this time on Atlantic Avenue close to the railway line. With the development of the Beausejour Industrial Park, the board decided to investigate the possibility of enlarging and relocating the bulk plant to this park on the east edge of town. By 1995, a new, larger capacity plant was operational in its present location at the north end of the Beausejour Industrial Park.

In 1996, with the increase in membership and sales, the demand for a new food store became a necessity. A beautiful, modern 15,000 square foot food store opened on November 4, 1996. This new building was constructed directly behind the previously outgrown establishment; the removal of which provided ample parking space for the increasing number of customers. Seven short years later, it was determined that an expansion was needed and on April 23, 2003, the newly expanded food store was opened.

In the meantime, the need for consumer gasoline was also increasing. With this added demand, the board decided to purchase an existing gas station on the east end of Park Avenue. As a result, the Co-op gas bar and c-store was relocated and opened for business in its present location in 1997. Since then, the gas bar has undergone two major renovations with the addition of more pumps, a touchless car wash and a large, modern c-store.

In May 2003, Beausejour Co-op announced an exciting expansion into Pinawa and Lac du Bonnet, thanks to the support of lease operator Ritch Nally, who began operating both gas bars. Renovations at these locations included new pumps and tanks, ensuring improved service for our members.

By 2004, Lac du Bonnet saw the construction of a new convenience store, enhancing the shopping experience for the community. Since then, Beausejour Co-op has proudly taken over the Lac du Bonnet location, while the Pinawa gas bar remains owner-operated—a partnership that continues to serve our members today.

Beausejour Co-op expanded once again in 2007 with the construction of a brand-new food store in the community of Oakbank, located at 20 Co-op Drive. This modern facility brought our co-operative values and quality service to even more members. 13 years later, we invested in a major expansion to better serve the growing community—adding more space, more selection, and an even better shopping experience.

In 2019, Beausejour Co-op took another step toward providing a positive shopping experience for our members by opening our first pharmacy in February of 2019. Located inside the Beausejour food store, this addition allowed us to provide convenient access to prescriptions, health advice, and wellness products—all under one roof.

Shortly after, Beausejour Co-op continued to grow by opening a new Cardlock location in Whitemouth. This addition provided members and commercial customers with convenient, 24/7 access to high-quality fuel—strengthening our commitment to serving communities across our trading area.

By 2020, it became clear there was a growing need for more agricultural services in our trading area. To meet this demand, Beausejour Co-op purchased land along Hwy 12 (1/2 mile north of our bulk plant) and began construction on a state-of-the-art agro centre, which officially opened in 2021. This site features a bulk fertilizer shed, a new office building, a new seed treating facility and a re-conditioned warehouse for chemical storage.

In 2022, we proudly purchased and renovated an existing pharmacy located directly behind our food store in Oakbank. This investment reflects Beausejour Co-op’s dedication to meeting the evolving needs of the communities we serve.

Our most recent expansion took place in Lac du Bonnet, where Beausejour Co-op purchased the existing four-bay wand car wash located directly beside our gas bar. The site was upgraded and transitioned from a coin/token pay system to a tap-to-pay system and officially opened in September of 2025.

From our first year of operation to today, Beausejour Co-op has grown into a thriving co-operative with over 17,000 members, annual sales exceeding $100 million, and a dedicated team of more than 220 employees. We are proud to operate nine locations across our trading area, serving communities with food, fuel, pharmacy, and agro services. This incredible growth is thanks to the loyalty of our members and the dedication of our team. As we celebrate 75 years, we look forward to continuing our mission — to provide member/owners and communities with long-term, sustainable value through service and excellence.

Information gathered in part from the Manitoba Beaver, The Clipper Publishing, and the Beausejour Consumers Co-operative's 15th and 50th Anniversary Celebration Booklets.