Small Business Spotlight: Country Pizza

Jared Chestnut's family had close ties to Trudie and Bill, Country Pizza's original owners and operators. "Within a year of being born, I moved to Belmont, so I just say that I am from Belmont because that is all I ever remember," Jared said with a smile. "We lived three doors down from the pizza shop, so we knew Trudie for a long time just by kind of being neighbours." Being neighbours turned into being coworkers, as Jared's mom began to work for Trudie part-time while Jared was growing up, followed by Jared's older sister, and eventually Jared himself. "I worked for Trudie for a lot of years," Jared said, estimating that he probably worked for her for 8 or 10 years on and off between going off to university and coming home for summers and winter breaks. "I've been a part of the business for a long time, and we kind of joked about it originally," Jared laughed. "We said, oh, you know, maybe I'll take over the business one day, and then during my time at university, we started to talk more seriously about it, and it wasn't much of a joke anymore." 

​By the time Jared entered his third year at McMaster University, things were heading in that direction. "It worked out really well because Trudie had been running the business for 34 years, and she was ready to retire," Jared explained. "I was just finishing school then, so the timing worked perfectly. It aligned how we wanted it to, so we went ahead."

Originally opening in Dorchester in 1988, Country Pizza was moved to Belmont shortly after opening by owners Trudie and Bill, eventually becoming a permanent location and a local favourite. Jared officially bought the business in 2022, making him the second owner in 36 years. Jared learned a lot from working with Trudie over the years, and he is proud to be working to carry on the business with the same traditions and values that Trudie and Bill held for so many years. Country Pizza remains an independent mom-and-pop shop, and Jared continues to try to offer the Belmont and surrounding communities high-quality products made with quality ingredients. 

​"We do everything old school," Jared explained. "We make our dough each day, grate our cheese, cut our vegetables; everything is how it used to be. We try to be very generous with our customers and products. On top of that, we try to be very community-oriented." The quality and care have stayed the same, from using a local vegetable supplier to making everything from scratch. Jared believes it makes a better product, so that's how it will continue to be done. 

​Trudie was always very involved in the Belmont community, supporting different teams, causes, and events, something Jared knew he wanted to continue doing. "I remember working for Trudie and all she did for the community," Jared said. "When you are in a small town like Belmont, which probably had about 1,000 people when I was growing up, it's important to have a good rapport with the community. They support you, and you support them in response." Trudie started the tradition of supporting local organizations, fundraisers and events, and Jared is proud to carry on that tradition of support. Country Pizza supports a lot of minor sports in Belmont, especially minor hockey, through donating, being a sponsor, or helping to advertise for events. "I saw the importance of doing that and the response we would get from customers who loved that their kids or grandkids teams had Country Pizza as a major sponsor and would come in and order food in response. I just knew we had to continue to do that." 

​Country Pizza also supports the Belmont community by filling out any customer request, including delivering it to fields for farmers during the busy planting and harvest seasons. Jared views the ability to fill unique customer requests as a perk of being an independently-owned small business. They can adapt to customers' and communities' wants and needs efficiently. Jared says they'll do it as long as they have the materials and what is required to fill the request. "After Trudie being in the business for 35 years, and I have been around here for 10 or 12 years, we have kind of seen it all and done it all," laughed Jared. "We don't even blink an eye; if someone asks for something, we do it." 

Despite knowing everything about the business from his time working with Trudie and gaining knowledge and insight from her, Jared needed to figure out where to start when officially purchasing the company. "We are very old school, so we did a basic handshake deal, but that's not really how things work anymore," said Jared. "We both had no idea how to go about it: selling a business, buying a business, and starting from square one." So, Jared contacted the Elgin County Business Resource Centre (EBRC) and met with Glenn Thorel. "I reached out, we scheduled a meeting, and I said, Glenn, I have no idea how to get started here, and he was awesome," Jared said with a smile. "He walked me through everything by phone and email, and he helped me through any questions I had that came up step by step." 

Despite initially needing to learn about the local community business resources after reaching out and getting their assistance, Jared loves encouraging other businesses to access their programs, skills and knowledge. "They are such good resources, and it's just a no-brainer," said Jared. "Starting up a business, there is so much to it, there are so many pieces, and you are so worried about missing something and not doing things correctly. So to have people that can walk you through it and help you step by step is amazing." 

One last tidbit of advice that Jared believes is important, especially for small businesses, is to know your market. Since Jared grew up in Belmont and worked with Trudie for years, he has been able to learn about their market. His background knowledge provided him with a secure grounding. Still, he emphasizes how important it is for new business owners to know and connect with potential customers. "I think just knowing and supporting the community you are trying to serve and helping and being known as a strong community member is so important, especially in small communities," said Jared. "Even just going for walks around town and chatting with people, they're all your potential customers, so I think community knowledge is so important." Jared also pointed out that this is where small businesses can excel, as they often can make local connections that larger corporations and franchises can only sometimes do. Taking the time to connect with your community and help out in partnerships, fundraising, and community advertisement can help businesses grow their community connections and get to know their local market. 

Paige Palmer, EDC Summer Marketing Assistant

Paige is happy to be joining the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation as their 2024 Summer Marketing Assistant. She is completing her undergraduate degree this summer with a double major in Media and Communications Studies and Thanatology at Western University and King’s University College. She is excited to help to promote local vendors and businesses this summer, and is looking forward to trying all the delicious and unique produce and products at the Horton Farmers’ Market this summer! Outside of work and school she loves spending time learning about nature, animals, and gardening.