Ivan's Meat and Deli in Stittsville recovers from July 1 power loss and generator costs
Owner Ivan Saric faced thousands in diesel generator rental fees after the Canada Day storm knocked out power for five days, costing his small business dearly.
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When the July 1 storm hit Stittsville, Ivan Saric was away from his shop when his monitoring system alerted him that the coolers were losing temperature. The power had gone out.
For a small meat and deli business that relies on heavy three-phase electrical service to run meat grinders, meat saws, and walk-in fridges, a prolonged outage is catastrophic. Hydro was supposed to respond the next morning but never showed. When Saric realized he couldn't wait, he called Power Tech for an industrial generator — and the bill hit $1,200 per day in diesel costs alone.
The generator ran for five days until Hydro finally returned Saturday night. "It's been an extremely stressful situation," Saric told Stittsville Central on July 9.
Ivan's, which his parents Tony and Maria opened in 1987 after immigrating from Croatia, carries on the family tradition with locally sourced meat — no hormones or antibiotics — and ready-made Croatian meals under the Maria's Ready Foods brand: cabbage rolls, meat pies, lasagna with fresh noodles, and gluten and dairy-free options. The shop is also known for marinated kababs ready to throw on the grill during BBQ season.
While Saric has insurance, he's uncertain whether the claim will raise his premiums — he's already filed claims for the 2022 Derecho and previous flooding. The community rallied. "On Tuesday we were so busy with regular customers and new ones coming in to support us," his wife Natalija said. The neighbourhood's response has been a bright spot in an otherwise costly week.
