Orchard & Vine Fall 2019

Creek & Gully Cider Days Century Growers

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Wine Growing in a Warming World Blueberry Benefits Fall 2019 $6.95

Display Until Nov 30, 2019 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40838008 www.orchardandvine.net

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CODE OF PRACTICE for

AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT NEW RULES ARE NOW IN EFFECT! The previous Agricultural Waste Control Regulation has been replaced by the Code of Practice for Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM Code).

What does the new regulation mean for B.C. fruit growers?

1.

Records of your farm activities must be kept for 5 years to show you are meeting the requirements of the new regulation. This includes information on nutrient application and monitoring temporary field storage.

2.

Post-harvest nitrate and phosphorus soil tests need to be taken starting in the fall of 2019, if you do not have post-harvest soil tests from within the last three years, and if your farm is 2+ hectares and you apply manure or fertilizer.

3.

New minimum setbacks are required from property boundaries and when applying fertilizer, manure or other nutrient sources near a watercourse or ditch that drains into a watercourse.

4.

In high precipitation areas, nutrient application is prohibited during the winter season (November, December, January) and requires a risk assessment before nutrient sources are applied in the shoulder season (October, February, March).

5.

During high-risk conditions and, in high-precipitation areas from October 1 - April 1, additional protective measures need to be taken, such as covering temporary field-stored piles, including agricultural by-products or wood residue.

6.

If your farm is located within a designated vulnerable aquifer recharge areas or high-precipitation area, additional protective requirements may apply. To find out if your farm is located in one of these areas, visit the website below.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.gov.bc.ca/Agricultural-Environmental-Management BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) is assisting the Province of BC with communicating the key changes related to AEM Code. Please look for more information on our website or contact your producer association.

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Photo by Ronda Payne

29

Fort Langley Village Farmers' Market.

CONTENTS 6 Publisher's View – Lisa Olson 8 Calendar

Photo by Kimberly Brooke Photography

11 News & Events 19 Orchard & Vine Celebrates 60 Years 24 Days Century Growers

31

Re-usable straws at Farm Bound Organic Zero Waste Grocery.

27 Creek and Gully Handcrafted Cider 29 To Market, To Market 31 Farm, Food & Cider Find Diverse Channels 34 Health Benefits of Blueberries 35 Wine Growing in a Warming World

Photo by James Zandecki | Dreamstime.com

37 What It's Worth – Brian Pauluzzi 39 Legal Libations – Hanan Campbell 41 Marketing Mix – Leeann Froese

35

Global warming may mean new varietals for Okanagan grapes.

43 Seeds Of Growth – Glen Lucas 45 The Word on Wine – Carie Jones 46 Remembering Harry Watters Cover Photo of Annelise Simonsen, Director of Operations and Kaleigh Jorgensen, Cidermaker at Creek & Gully Cider. Photo contributed

Fall 2019

5

 PUBLISHER’S VIEW | LISA OLSON

Orchard Families Bring on the Cider

S

Vol. 60, No 5 Fall 2019

ince we have been researching and digging up past stories during our 60th year, it’s easy to notice how farm businesses and products have been evolving.

Established in 1959 Publisher Lisa Olson

Some long established orchard families are diversifying their farms by creating new businesses on their farmland. They include new food products using unique ingredients in the traditional jams, jellies and dressings to sell at their farm gate and markets; building complete structures to house a new cidery operation, tasting room, or restaurant; and even hosting live music and events. In addition to the events, some cool names and trendy labels are designed to catch your attention even more.

In this issue we bring you an innovative article about a longtime orchard family now making cider that is also vegan, organic and gluten-free. Upside Cider opened earlier this year near the Kelowna Airport and has been busy since day one. The interesting part is how they also kept the fruit market right next door in the same building as the cidery. If that isn’t enough to keep everyone busy, partner Jaye Siegmueller already operates Farm Bound, a successful organic produce delivery service, as well as the newly opened Farm Bound Zero Waste, the Okanagan’s first specialty zero waste grocery store. Wow, where do these people get their energy?

Another fifth generation organic orchard family from Naramata opened Creek and Gully Cider. This new cidery business opened this year by daughter

Editor

Photo by Kimberly Brooke Photography

Gary Symons

Annelise Simonsen and daughter-in-law Kaleigh Jorgensen. The Scandinavian style building, as seen on our cover, is beautiful in it’s simplicity as is the natural style of their fermenting process.

Days Century Growers, a highly regarded farm from the early 1900s, has a special Canadian niche for pears, so much so,that they have committed to a new sorting line to increase efficiency and sorting precision in their business.

It is so exciting to see how there is so much diversity, creativity and uniqueness in this industry. We love covering these stories and are glad to bring them to you.

There are so many delicious products out there, I want to try them all, hope you do too.

Enjoy the magazine!

Graphic Design Stephanie Symons Contributors Michael Botner, Hanan Campbell, Leeann Froese, Carie Jones, Kimberly Brooke Photography, Glen Lucas, Ronda Payne, Brian Pauluzzi, Tom Walker Advertise lisa@orchardandvine.net Phone: 778-754-7078 Orchard & Vine Magazine Ltd. 22-2475 Dobbin Road Suite #578 West Kelowna, BC V4T 2E9 www.orchardandvine.net Phone: 778-754-7078 Fax: 1-866-433-3349 Orchard & Vine Magazine is published six times a year and distributed by addressed mail to growers, suppliers and wineries in BC and across Canada.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40838008 Undeliverable copies should be sent to: 22-2475 Dobbin Road Suite #578

Providing Canadian Grapevine Solutions BRITISH COLUMBIA Nathan Phillips p. 250-809-6040 bcsales@vinetech.ca 6

Fall 2019

QUEBEC Alexandre Jacquel p. 905.984.4324 qcsales@vinetech.ca

NOVA SCOTIA Ian Kaye p. 902.740.2493 nssales@vinetech.ca

ONTARIO Wes Wiens/Tina Wall p. 905.984.4324 sales@vinetech.ca

West Kelowna, BC V4T 2E9

FROM GROWER TO CIDER MAKER 3 new cideries are profiled in this issue.

WHO will open next?

Find equipment and professional services in Orchard & Vine Magazine Visit our booth at the For-ti-fy Conference To advertise or subscribe contact us today 778-754-7078 lisa@orchardandvine.net

Photo by Kim Lawton

 FALL | CALENDAR

Fortify Conference November 19, 2019 Penticton, BC https://fortifyconference.ca Agri-Food Industry Gala January 29, 2020 Abbotsford, BC http://www.bcac.bc.ca Pacific Agriculture Show January 30 - Feb 1, 2020 Abbotsford, BC http://www.agricultureshow.net Unified Wine & Grape Symposium February 4 - 6, 2020 Sacramento, California http://www.unifiedsymposium.org

Supplier to the Commercial Beverage Industry

Islands Agriculture Show February 7 - 8, 2020 Cowichan, BC http://www.iashow.ca International Fruit Tree Association February 9 -12, 2020 Grand Rapids, Michigan http://www.ifruittree.org

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Fall 2019

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Oregon Wine Symposium February 11 -12, 2020 Portland, Oregon www.oregonwinesymposium.com Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention February 19 - 20, 2020 Niagara Falls, ON www.ofvc.ca Certified Organic Association of BC COABC Conference February 28 – March 1, 2020 Richmond. BC www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers AGM & Trade Show March 2- 5, 2020 Kennewick, WA, USA www.wawinegrowers.org

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2nd Annual Business Conference and Tradeshow November 19, 2019, Penticton BC 7:30 - 8:30 am 8:45 - 9:00 am 9:00 - 9:45 am 9:45 - 10:00 am

10:00 - 11:00 am 11:00 - 12:00 pm

12:00 - 1:30 pm 1:30 - 2:30 pm 2:30 - 3:15 pm 3:15 - 4:15 pm

4:30-5:30 pm

5:30 - 6:30 pm 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Registration and Coffee Welcome Remarks Geoff McIntyre - Business Advisor Food and Beverage Processing, MNP 9:00 Innovations in Leadership Panel Discussion Rita Kitsch – Kitsch Wines, Joshua Vanderheide – Fieldhouse Brewing, Tom Krywko – Sea Cider Funding Opportunities Maria Gonzales, BC Consulting Lead, Food and Beverage Processing & Cannabis, MNP Matt Van Dijk, FCC Tradeshow Opens/Coffee Break Morning Concurrent Sessions: • Sales & Marketing, Digital Marketing Strategies to Drive Sales Adrienne Stillman – Marketing Director, WineDirect • Finance/Operations, GST/PST/Excise Tax: Navigating the Maze Geoff McIntyre – Business Advisor Food & Beverage Processing, MNP, Heather Weber - MNP • Human Resources, Attract and Retain Your People in an Employment Market Shawnee Love – Lead Consultant, LoveHR Lunch and Beverage Bar Open / Tradeshow Lightning Talks: Resolving Common Business Challenges with Innovative Solutions Coffee Break / Tradeshow Afternoon Concurrent Sessions: • Sales & Marketing, Using Agencies to Build Sales: An Agent Perspective Paul Rickett – VARketing!, Brian Berry – Revelry Import Company, Selwyn Rawstron – Provincial Sales Manager BC, Empson Wines Canada • Finance/Operations, Hidden Financial Costs and Dangers of Termination: A Legal Perspective Christopher Wiebe – Partner, Farris LLP • Human Resources, Enhance Your Performance Through Effective Delegation Shawnee Love – Lead Consultant, LoveHR Afternoon Concurrent Sessions: • Sales & Marketing, Turning Buyers into Believers: How to Create Raving Fans Pete Luckett – Luckett Vineyards • Finance/Operations, You Are Never Too Small: Cost Effective Benefits Packages for Your Valued Employees Tom Dyas – TD Benefits, Geoff McIntyre – Advisor Food & Beverage Processing, MNP • Human Resources, Conflict Management: From Best Practices to Best Failures Terri Erikson – Navy and Sage Benefits, Jennifer Sencar – BC Employment Standards Tradeshow Social and Networking Event at Cannery Brewing

Details: All sessions, trade show, meals and beverages included in ticket price.

See https://fortifyconference.ca for more conference information

10 Fall 2019

 FALL | NEWS & EVENTS

Photo by Kimberly Brooke Photography

Frind Estate Winery Opens Temporary Tasting Room

Frind Estate Winery located on the stunning lakefront property that was the home of former BC Premier Bill Bennett has opened a temporary tasting room. The full-scale tasting house and dining facility is currently under construction and will be open to the public in the spring of 2020.

Taco Vino a Mexican Themed Tasting Event October 19th

Just as the weather is cooling, the teams from the BC Wine, Cider & Spirits Festival, Kelowna Autosport, and El Taquero are going to be heating it up with this Mexican themed tasting experience!

“We are honored to team up with BC Wine, Cider & Spirits Festivals in catering the inaugural Taco Vino event this October," says Israel Camarillo & Marnie Burnett of El Taquero, Tacos & Tequila.

"When we saw the list of wineries being showcased at the event, we couldn’t help

but reach out to see how we could be involved! Event goers can look forward to being immersed in the Mexican Street Style creations delivered everyday at our downtown location." The event will feature low-rider cars, Mexican food, Fresh is Best, Spanish music from DJ Froggy Stylz, samples of the BC Wine Fest members, an onsite liquor store presented by Public Liquor, and a safe ride home.

Members of the BC Wine, Cider & Spirits Festival will be pouring at this inaugural event, including The Hatch, Intrigue Wines, Intersection Estate Winery, Lake Breeze Vineyards, Summerhill Pyramid Winery, The Vibrant Vine and more.

Photo contributed

Taco Vino – A Mexican themed wine, cider & spirits tasting is set to take over the brand new Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Kelowna the evening of October 19th.

Fall 2019

11

î Ž FALL | NEWS & EVENTS

Evolve Cellars to Join TIME Winery in Downtown Penticton so the decision was made to consolidate the company's labels into one enhanced guest experience. With the McWatters family changes, evolutions in company roles, and harvest all happening at the same time, the team agreed this is the perfect time to pivot, focus, and, well, evolve the brand.

Evolve Cellars' new home will be at 361 Martin St., in downtown Penticton, sharing a roof with sibling TIME Winery.

Christa-Lee McWatters is the new president and CEO, as per the family's succession plan. Harry had been in the wine business for 51 years and mentored Christa-Lee in the business from the time she was a child. Evolve Cellars is a project led by Christa-Lee, noting that the brand values of celebrating the Okanagan and

Photo by Chris Stenberg

Evolve Cellars was established in 2015 by the McWatters family as a label created by their company, ENCORE Vineyards, to offer fresh, fruit-forward, crisp, approachable, well-balanced and affordable wines. And now it is time for Evolve Cellars to change. Encore Vineyards' past president and CEO Harry McWatters passed away peacefully but suddenly this past summer.

Christa-Lee McWatters is the president and CEO of ENCORE Vineyards.

living as the best version of herself is something she aspires to.

The original home of Evolve Cellars was on leased property, and the lease is up,

"It's been an exciting challenge as I take over managing the company," says McWatters. "I miss my dad and his mentorship, and moving ahead without him is a struggle some days, but I know he would want us to carve out our own way to carry on the family legacy."

McWatters first significant change as leader is to unite the brands. As of September 16 Evolve Cellars has a new residence in the refurbished Pen-Mar theater that is home to TIME Winery & Kitchen.

Maxime Legris the New Head Winemaker at Lunessence

Photo contributed

Lunessence Winery & Vineyard is pleased to announce that Maxime Legris has joined the team as Head Winemaker.

Legris was most recently Assistant Winemaker at Cedar Creek Estate Winery for two years, and brings with him extensive winemaking, vineyard & technical experience from Ontario and New Zealand.

Maxime Legris head winemaker at Lunessence Winery & Vineyard.

Legris completed his Sommelier Certification in Ottawa in 2007 and his B.Sc. degree in Oenology & Viticulture at Brock University. During his time in Niagara he worked as a Research Assistant at the On-

tario Ministry of Agricultre and Rural Affairs, and at Brock University.

In 2012, Legris did two vintages at Malivoire Wine Company in Ontario, followed by two vintages in New Zealand with Babich Wines. In 2014, he relocated to the Okanagan to join Pentage Winery in Penticton where he helped oversee all winemaking, cellar, and vineyard operations for the 5,000-case winery. In joining Lunessence, he teams up with Jason Faulkner, who he worked with at Cedar Creek in 2017.

Wineries, Distilleries and Cideries Ingredients, Supplies and Equipment Visit our fully stocked 10,000 sq.ft.warehouse or shop online

6908 Palm Ave Burnaby BC - Phone 604-473-9463 - Toll Free 1-866-554-7273 - Web ecom.bosagrape.com 12 Fall 2019

 FALL | NEWS & EVENTS

Time to For-ti-fy Your Business Fortify was established to fill a need across industries for education, training and network opportunities to help BC’s breweries, wineries, distilleries, and cideries affordably access business supports and tools to increase viability and profitability.

For·ti·fy is an annual, one-day industry event held exclusively for fermenters and distillers. Established by industry for industry will take place on Tuesday, November 19, 2020 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre, in Penticton, BC. Featuring presentations, panel discussions, workshops from industry professionals and experts. Themes and topics will include: finance and operations; human resources, government/regulatory; sales and marketing, & more.

Last year, over 175 delegates from all four sectors attended this sold out event.

New this year is a 10,000+ sq.ft. tradeshow area with industry trade suppliers displaying products and services.

The conference and tradeshow are coordinated by the Business Alliance for Artisan Fermenters and Distillers.

For more conference information: https://fortifyconference.ca

OkanaganFarms.com

LAKE COUNTRY SW Panoramic Wood and Kalamalka lake views from this 9.3 acre orchard estate property. Productive high & medium density apple orchard, 24’2x50’ 3 bay. Enjoy low taxes with farm status. Lovely rural country setting just 10 mins to Lake Country’s many amenities. MLS® $1,395,000

LAKE COUNTRY SW Profitable turn-key greenhouse operation, retail store & solid 1500 sf rancher home with caretaker suite & unfinished basement on almost 10 acres of ALR land. Lakeview, highway frontage, strategically located within 10 mins of the Kelowna Airport.

MLS® $1,999,000

CAWSTON 25 acres freehold organic orchard & primarily class 1 vineyard land in Cawston. Spacious 3300 sf (approx) home, bunk house, original farm house, packing shed, greenhouse & fencing for horses. Two wells + gravity fed irrigation from 2 water licenses.

MLS® $ 2,200,000

LAKE COUNTRY SW Established fruit stand & almost 10 acres of irrigated orchard land strategically situated between Shanks Road & Highway 97 in Lake Country.

Mixed mature & older orchard with cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples etc. Fourplex and farm house.

MLS® $1,750,000

OYAMA Astounding views of Wood & Kalamalka lakes. 9.76 acres. Custom ‘92 built (approx) 3786sf home & fully irrigated apple orchard. Full-on western exposure. Immaculate, original walk-out rancher and 3 car garage. Orchard is older Mac and Delicious, well maintained and picturesque. New roof in 2016.

MLS® $1,650,000

KEREMEOS Superb value! 121.5 acre farm with stunning views of valley & mountains. 5 min north of Keremeos.

Approx 50 to 60 acres arable, rated class 1, 2, & 3 in Grape Atlas. Water from multiple wells. Two homes on the property: 4 bdr/ 3 bath 2230 sq ft rancher plus 14 x 52 manufactured home. 30x60 shop and 36x48 barn with tack room. MLS® $1,899,000

SE KELOWNA 4432 sf estate home on 12.27 acres prime overlooking vineyards, Okanagan lake & mountains. Lutron RA2 Google smart home. Soaring ceilings, cultured stone, extravagant gas fireplace, open concept layout & luxe master suite. Loft designed as 2 bed B&B. Bright basement with kitchen & 2 bedrooms.

MLS® $2,195,000

OLIVER 10 acres of peaches, prune plums and gala apples. Approx. 6 acres very well suited to vineyard. 380’ of highway frontage. 2 bay fruit stand w/3 piece bathroom and separate shop. Attached storage room w/ farm machinery storage below. 4 bdr home. High production well.

MLS® $1,389,000

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OkanaganFarms.com Fall 2019

13

 FALL | NEWS & EVENTS

Space: the Final Frontier in Agricultural Research and Development

Fast forward to June 2019 when the CSA launched it's third generation of SAR satellites, the RADARSAT-Constellation, and agriculture is now one of the primary clients and end-users.

Using Satellite Technology for Agriculture The RADARSAT-Constellation is a series of three SAR satellites. When linked together, they orbit the earth, providing more frequent coverage and more advanced imaging of our agricultural resources.

Dr. Andrew Davidson, manager of Earth Observation Operations at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), explains that there is no better way to obtain national-scale information on the state and trends of agriculture and resource use than from space.

"Satellites can cover way more ground at a much faster pace than humans, drones or aircraft, and the data can be

Photo by the Canadian Space Agency

When the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) launched its first Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, RADARSAT-1, in 1995, they weren't thinking about agriculture. But scientists at Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC) saw data streams from earth-orbiting satellites as an opportunity to look at agriculture from a stellar new vantage point. Soon, they were using satellite data steams to run crop models and evaluate the ability of fields to drain.

RADARSAT 2 is capable of scanning the Earth at all times, day or night through any weather conditions, RADARSAT 2 has typically acquired more than 30,000 images a year since its launch in 2007.

used to measure things such as crop type, vegetation cover and productivity and surface soil moisture conditions," he says.

These data are correlated with

data from aircrafts, drones, and ground collection networks to produce highly accurate measurements of crops and conditions, with the ability to detect changes quickly.

Task Force to Boost B.C. Agriculture Through Tech, Innovation The Province of BC has created a Food Security Task Force to find new ways to use technology and innovation to strengthen B.C.'s agriculture sector and grow the economy by helping farmers farm and processors become more productive, now and in the future.

“By helping farmers put more B.C. farmland into production,

our government is supporting the province’s agricultural industry and strengthening food security for all British Columbians,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture. “We are always looking for new ideas as we continue to help farmers produce more, grow new crops and develop thriving businesses. I know the task force will identify further in-

novations to support the sector and I’m looking forward to receiving their recommendations.”

The three-member task force, led by Peter Dhillon, chair, with Arvind Gupta and Lenore Newman as members, will assess and provide strategic advice on opportunities to: • apply agri-technologies to

help farmers and producers enhance productivity, increase economic competitiveness; • expand the emerging agritech industry in BC as a standalone economic sector; • support the objectives of CleanBC to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases; • increase access to fresh, healthy food.

SIGNATURE LTD.

An Okanagan vineyard and winery consulting company with more than 30 years experience in Bordeaux and Okanagan estates • Terroir • Vineyard • Winemaking • Expertise • Confidentiality www.pascalmadevon.ca

14 Fall 2019

Phone: 250.488.8497 Email: p.madevon@shaw.ca

 FALL | NEWS & EVENTS

The Pacific Agriculture Show 2020 It’s coming soon! The Pacific Agriculture Show is the largest and most important agriculture exhibition in BC, and 2020 will be the biggest and best yet!

Make sure you mark your calendar, book your hotel rooms and get ready to pack up the whole family, because kids under 14 are free. The Pac Ag, as many refer to it, starts Thursday January 30 and runs until February 1 from 9 am – 4:30 pm.

and producers attended from BC, Alberta and the Pacific Northwest.

The Pacific Agriculture Show is usually a sold out show, so don’t miss one of the best marketing opportunities of 2020.

Book your booth now and have fun at this years’ show. www.agricultureshow.net

There is so much to learn and see during this three-day show with workshops every day and 300 exhibits displaying the latest technologies, farm machinery, and information you need to run a successful operation.

Book your trade book now, as booth space typically fills up fast. Don’t miss this marketing opportunity to showcase your products, meet new customers and say hello to your current ones. This show is a great place to network and see what else is new.

BC’s agriculture industry is unique in its diversity and this industry event attracts an attendance from the livestock and horticulture sectors.

26.82 ACRES BELGO ESTATE This unique property offers a secluded country setting close to town. Features approx. 10 acre Belgo pond, an oasis for wildlife & migratory birds. Surrounding the pond is approx. 10 acres of vineyard planted to table grapes( Bath & Coronation varieties). Property has 3 legal Titles. There are 2 homes on 10.83 acres. The other 2 Titles, 3.63 acres & 12.35 acres can be built on. $4,995,000 MLSr 10182340

21.61 ACRES S.E. KELOWNA With approx 17 Acres planted to apple orchard. Features a custom built Craftsman style home with formal floor plan, 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, approx. 4,580 sqft + unfinished basement with suite potential. This beautiful estate property has privacy & panoramic valley views + 18 x 38 ft in-ground pool, triple garage, a detached work shop, 4,400 sqft barn + a small cottage. $3,995,000 MLSr 10181676

10 ACRES IN RUTLAND AREA Prime flat farm land with luxurious custom home with bright great room concept, 20 ft ceilings, extensive hardwood floors, gas fireplace, Kitchen with granite Island, SS appliances. Main floor master bedroom has 5 piece ensuite, heated tile floors, tub, steam shower. Upper level has a games room, library & family room. Unfinished basement + 2 car garage +2 car detached garage. $2,495,000 MLSr10179775

10.3 ACRES IN GLENMORE AREA KELOWNA Panoramic valley, City and lake views! This is a perfect spot to build an estate home and operate a farm in the heart of Kelowna. This property has gentle slope with a SW exposure & has full irrigation water available from GEID. Land is suitable for a wide variety of agricultural crops or run a few horses. This property Zoned A1 & in the ALR. $1,395,000 MLSr10182352

The Pacific Agriculture Show features many important industry meetings including the popular, Horticulture Growers’ Short Course. These and various industry conferences that take place at the Show attract the type of high quality delegates that exhibitors want to talk to.

Last year, over 9,500 farmers, ranchers

 FALL | LETTERS To Glen Lucas, Glen, thanks for the retrospective on BCFGA's many accomplishments and contributions over the years!

We found your Orchard & Vine - Seeds of Growth article (Summer 2019) on BCFGA and the fruit industry fascinating.

Appreciating all you do in maintaining the legacy, Sher Morgan, Morgan Orchard, Trout Creek Summerland

DAVID JUROME 250-862-1888 davidjurome@gmail.com

JAXON JUROME 250-300-0375 www.davidjurome.com

jaxonjurome@gmail.com Fall 2019

15

 FALL | NEWS & EVENTS

Big Award for Tiny Apples Goes to Rockit Global for Marketing Rockit Global, the company behind miniature Rockit apples marketed in convenient recyclable tube packaging, scooped the Marketing Campaign of the Year Award for its new brand campaign in China.

on throughout their working day.

China now accounts for 50 per cent of Rockit’s global sales, and the company launched a major marketing campaign in 2019.

“Ensuring your brand stands out in a crowded market such as China is always a challenge,” said Rockit Global’s China market manager, Eric Dai. “This award is fantastic recognition of a brand message that was tailored to engage and resonate with Chinese consumers and was well executed across a range of channels.”

Rockit apples were positioned as a healthy and convenient snack alternative for school kids and for young professionals seeking healthy options for snacking

With a tagline in Mandarin, ‘The little goodness you can hold’, Rockit undertook a number of promotional activities, including a campaign for Children’s Day on June 1st.

Cardboard Blueberry Packaging Wins ScanStar Award current customers. In addition, the total packaging usage is reduced by 30 per cent, which corresponds to a 48 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.

BAMA Packaging in Norway has been awarded the ScanStar Prize for innovative packaging that reduces the use of plastics, and also helps reduce CO2 emissions.

BAMA developed the new packaging solution for blueberry storage and shipping. and was awarded the ScanStar Prize for a solution that is sustainable, but still keeps the berries fresh.

“The development of environmentally friendly packaging solutions is fast, which we are very pleased about,” said Øyvind Briså, Executive Vice President of BAMA

and Chairman of BAMA Packaging. “We are proud to receive the ScanStar Prize and will continue our important work on sustainability and plastic reduction.”

The packaging helps reduce plastic usage by almost 170 tonnes a year for BAMA’s

The shape of the package means that BAMA can also increase the filling capacity of the rail cars or trucks, while at the same time containing the same amount of berries as the older plastic packaging, Briså says.

A volume of 2000 tonnes of blueberries imported from Morocco will reduce the need for transport to Norway by 57 lorries.

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16 Fall 2019

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 FALL | NEWS & EVENTS

Arctic Apple Slices – Launching into Food Service Markets This Fall available to food service customers in 40 oz. bags of both Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny varieties, along with a 100 count case of 2 oz. packages. OSF expects to continue the expansion of retail availability of Arctic Apples this fall.

OSF is also starting to market directly to the industry through B2B conferences. OSF introduced the non-browning apple slices to a receptive food service industry at the Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) recent Food service Show in Monterey, California.

“It was exciting for us to exhibit at the PMA Food service

Photo by https://www.arcticapples.com/

Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. is now expanding its nonbrowning Arctic Apple slices into the food service market, thanks to a huge increase in the crop size for 2019-2020.

“For the first time, this year’s anticipated Arctic apple crop volume will support expanding into food service,” explains Neal Carter, President of OSF. “We’ve been extremely busy planting in the orchards. We expect to have an estimated eight million pounds of Arctic apples for the 2019-2020 season and plan to continue to increase availability in coming years.”

The company plans to make freshly sliced Arctic Apples

show for the first time and to give attendees the opportunity to experience the orchard freshness of Arctic Golden fresh slices,” said J.F. Gamelin, Director of Sales for OSF. “Arctic apples’ non-browning trait offers a key benefit to the food service industry – including less prep, less waste and better taste.”

Developed through bioengineering, Arctic apples fresh slices help reduce unnecessary food waste across the supply chain with their 28-day shelf life, compared to the 18-21 day industry average, and the fact they don’t turn brown after being sliced.

Canada Invests Over $475,000 in Tender Fruits and Fresh Grape Research The federal government is investing in a program to improve fruit quality and availability for tender fruits and fresh grapes in Ontario. Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, and Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, on behalf of the Honourable Ma-

for example by extending the growing season and storability. The project will also study black knot disease in plums and develop new tender fruit and fresh grape varieties. The technical results of the research will be shared with the Canadian tree fruit and fresh grape sectors.

rie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced an investment of up to $476,908 for the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers and Fresh Grape Growers. The research project aims to improve Canadian tender fruits such as apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and pears,

Funding comes through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriScience Program, aimed at accelerating the pace of innovation by providing funding and support for pre-commercial R&D.

Fall 2019

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 FALL | NEWS & EVENTS

Government of Canada Invests to Help Increase Cherry Exports The federal government continues to invest in the expansion of the rapidly growing BC cherry export business.

The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, on behalf of the Honourable MarieClaude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced in Kelowna a further $241,000 in funding to the BC Cherry Association (BCCA).

This investment, made under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing Program, will help the sector improve market access for Canadian fresh cherries in new and existing export markets. The funding will enable the BCCA to boost awareness of the sector in priority markets through the development of new promotional material and attendance at

international tradeshows and buyers missions.

As part of this project, the BCCA will also implement a pest management protocol for the Japan, China, United States and South Korea markets, and design and produce export labels to meet marketspecific requirements.

"The Government of Canada is committed to creating good middle-class jobs by helping our farmers and processors compete and succeed in markets at home and around the world,” said Lametti.

“This investment will help the cherry industry open new international markets, contributing to the government's goal of $75 billion in agri-food exports by 2025.”

The new funding was well received by

cherry farmers and by BCCA President Sukhpaul Bal. "A significant portion of the Canadian cherry business involves export,” said Bal. “The BC Cherry Association has benefited from federal AgriMarketing funding for our activities for the past seven years. “

Canada Supports BC’s Berry Industry with Major Research Grant In May, the provincial government announced $1 million in funding to support berry research. That amount was brought up to $6 million with the July announcement by the federal government of its share ($3.6 million) when added to the industry’s funds of $1.4 million.

It’s the largest berry research project ever undertaken in BC’s history and one that growers are excited about. The federal funding, made possible through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, AgriScience Program, was announced at Abbotsford’s Berry Have Farm by MarieClaude Bibeau, Canadian Minister of Ag-

riculture and Agri-Food and Jati Sidhu, MP Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon to a group of berry growers, association staff, government and berry supporters.

The research, which will be coordinated by the Lower Mainland Horticulture Association (LMHIA) on behalf of BC Blueberry Council (BCBC), Raspberry Industry Development Council (RIDC) and BC Strawberry Growers Association (BCSGA), will benefit all three berry groups.

David Mutz, of Berry Haven Farm and treasurer of the LMHIA notes it paints a bright future for the industry, despite

current challenges such as off-shore competition, climate change and decreasing yields.

“We have a long track record of investing in new varieties,” he says. “It’s essential to adapting to consumer demands and changing climate. One of the pillars of the program is genetics. This will allow us to do our own specialization and really do the best we can for Canada.”

Key aspects of the research will include breeding for better climate adaptation, resistance to pests and disease and superior fruit yield and quality.

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Orchard & Vine Magazine Celebrates 60 Years To celebrate our 60th Anniversary Orchard & Vine magazine is reprinting a few of our historical articles, photographs and ads that highlight how the industry has changed, and how it continues to face some of the same issues, labour shortage and costs, pests, marketing and international trade agreements. We also have a historic ad from Buckerfields circa 1968, as well as their ad for this issue.

We have included a research article from the Summerland Research station about the compact peach tree, photos of the research station and the codling moth program that led to the SIR program in place today.

The Compact Peach Tree

By Dr. D.V. FISHER Canada Department of Agriculture Research Station, Summerland, B.C. The high cost and general shortage of labour has resulted in a revolution in the orchards being grown today as compared to even 10 or 15 years ago. The trend toward growing apples on small to medium sized trees at high densities is likely to continue and intensify as time goes by.

Compact apple plantings result in lower labor costs in pruning, spraying, thinning and packing.

In addition, the use of smaller trees at higher densities per acre results in high early returns to the grower. Development of high density plantings for fruits other than apples would be equally attractive. However, methods for growing small trees of other species of fruit have not been successfully demonstrated in this area.

The peach industry needs

Peach trained to 2 branch Obliquette Palmerre at start of third growing season.

small trees just as badly as the apple industry. One reason for this is the growth habit of peach trees which results in fruit being produced only on new wood. The bearing habit gradually takes the fruiting surface further away from the trunk and higher in the tree, and unless very courageous cutting back is practiced from about the fourth year onward, peach trees soon become too high. Much ladder work is then required to prune, thin, and (especially) harvest the fruit which may 10 year old peach trained to 2-branch Oblique Palmette. All fruiting wood under 6 1/2 feet height.

be produced anywhere from 16 feet from the ground. Future economical production of Freestone peaches in this area, at least is going to be tied in a considerable measure to successful means for growing trees at greater densities per acre. In our opinion there are several means by which small sized peach trees may be grown which will yield as good crops per acre as from trees on standard 20 x 20 plantings and at much lower costs of production. The 2-Branch Oblique Palmette.

B.C. ORCHARDIST JANUARY 1968

Fall 2019

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MARKETING

This display in a Winnipeg store illustrates the kind of advertising Okanagan apples receive across the nation during National Apple Week. It is the payoff for the efforts of B.C. Tree Fruits Ltd. advertising department in making display material available and in co-operating with stores in planing displays. The picture also illustrates the effectiveness of the B.C. Tree Fruits packaging in reaching the consumer.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Inspecting apples from British Columbia - first to be sent to Britain under a new experiment in bulk delivery. left to right, J.Hunt, director of the Kent Apple and Pear Marketing Organization; Q.E Hool, marketing manager; and George J. Callister, a representative of Ontario Peach Growers Cooperative and Marketing Board. The apples, winesaps, were sent in large 25-bushel plywood bins lined with corrugated cardboard. They arrived in excellent condition together with seven 25-bushel bins of Newton apples.

20 Fall 2019

SUMMERLAND RESEARCH STATION Thirty years of work by scientists at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland confirmed that Sterile Insect Technology was well suited to address the codling moth issue in the fruit growing areas of the Southern Interior. Since OKSIR's founding in 1992, both the codling moth population and the amount of pesticides used per acre have decreased by around 90%, building a stronger and healthier BC fruit industry. - oksir.org

HORTICULTURAL AND PROCESSING BUILDING at the Federal Government's Regional Research Centre West, Summerland.

Rearing Codling Moth in the laboratory at the Summerland Research Station.

Congratulations to Orchard & Vine Magazine for 60 years of supporting agriculture in B.C.

Since 1919

Courtenay by the bridge

Victoria (now Swans Pub)

Billboard in Abbotsford Fall 2019

21

Sponsored Article

As Agribusiness Evolves It’s Important to Choose a Financial Partner that Evolves With It Whether you own a sprawling vineyard in the Okanagan, a blueberry production facility in the Lower Mainland or a small hobby farm on the Island, having a trusted financial partner is essential to help your business grow.

You can hear it in his voice when he talks about Canadian agriculture— Toby Frisk is proud of the rich agricultural history in Canada and he’s passionate about where the industry is going. After spending his early working years on a fourth-generation grain farm in Saskatchewan, Frisk has spent the last 19 years in a range of agricultural banking roles across Canada.

This has given him a unique perspective into the world of farming and agriculture.

“When you’ve been able to actually live in the world of agriculture, you can approach it with a different lens. You know the struggles; the concerns and the joys of what farmers go through each and every day,” says Frisk.

Toby Frisk talks with O’Rourke’s Peak Cellars winemaker Adrian Baker at the winery’s vineyard in Lake Country.

The business of acting local

Building trusted relationships

plan to help them,” says Frisk.

Frisk now leads an agricultural banking team of three for First West Credit Union and its divisional brands Valley First, Envision Financial, Island Savings and Enderby & District Financial. This unique business model enables First West to support farmers across B.C. while giving them a trusted local brand to do business with.

This local approach stands out to Frisk as a credit union differentiator.

“When you’re working with farmers, you have to listen. It’s less about pushing product and more about asking important questions. What do they need?

Where do they need support? Where do they want their business to be in one year, five years, ten years?” says Frisk.

Ultimately, Frisk believes there is a common goal that is shared between all agribusinesses.

“There is a strong emphasis on being local in our decision making because we know the value that it holds for our members. Being agile in our decisionmaking, rather than sending approvals to a head-office in Toronto somewhere, is really important.”

Additionally, with advisors located in regions throughout B.C., they’re able to better serve the agribusiness community because they know the local market well.

After all, the needs of a farm in Vernon could be vastly different than the needs of a farm in Langley and it’s important to recognize that difference.

22 Fall 2019

When the needs of the member always come first no matter what, Frisk shared that his role becomes easier. “Our goals are the same as theirs— to help their business thrive."

Looking forward When thinking about agriculture, our minds tend to think of the classic image— an apple or dairy farmer, but the reality is that the scope of agri-business is much more extensive, and the needs of those businesses aren’t the same. “When we’re looking at supporting a canning facility, a supply management firm or a field crop grower, we work to identify the financial needs and aspirations of these agribusinesses to be able to build a customized

“The goal of the agriculture industry is to create and supply safe and sustainable food for Canadians. For us, the goal becomes clear, how can we better enable our producers and suppliers to do just that?”

When asked about where Frisk’s passion comes from, he tied it back to his experience saying, “I’ve worked with farmers, producers and agri-business owners from across the country and their commitment and tireless work ethic is admirable. I feel a tremendous amount of pride being able to support them to help them grow and thrive.”

Toby Frisk is Regional Manager of Agriculture with First West Credit Union.

To learn more about First West Credit Union’s agricultural banking division, connect with Toby at tfrisk@valleyfirst.com.

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DAY’S

CENTURY

GROWERS

By Tom Walker Just like the company’s name says, It has been more than a century since young Ephriam Arthur Day left Utah and eventually settled in the Okanagan Valley.

“He took his gun and his horse and worked odd jobs while he made his way north,” says Kevin Day, who with his sister Karin is the fourth generation of the Day family to live and work on their Benvoulin area property in Kelowna.

Like many of the long-standing family farms we have profiled this year, the Day’s farm has been through several changes to evolve with the times in order to continue their legacy.

Starting at the turn of the 19th Century, Ephriam and his wife grew vegetables, raised cattle and leased some land to sharecroppers. Their second son was severely wounded at Vimy Ridge during the First World War, but after recovering in the hospital was able to purchase the farm from his father through the War Veterans Act. Ephriam’s five sons had five Day farms across Kelowna, all of them orchards.

Today Kevin and Karin’s cousin Steve

The Day Family.

Benvoulin is actually a niche for pears in all of Canada, apples and cherries need drainage and would not do well in heavier bottom land soil. The stars align to grow pears in this flat area.

Kevin Day has BC’s largest pear orchard, while their own farm is second in size.

Photo by Andrew Barton

“Benvoulin is actually a niche for pears in all of Canada,” says Kevin. Apples and cherries need drainage and would not do well in heavier bottom land soil, he explains. “The stars align to grow pears in this flat area,” he says. “We still get good air flow to help with the frosts and being close to the lake gives us a heat sink.”

“Our great uncle Fred first planted pears in the late 20’s and early 30’s,” says Kevin, “But he mostly had dairy cows and dairy cows weren’t doing very well.”

24 Fall 2019

Kevin and Karin’s dad George purchased the farm in 1951. He replaced the dairy cows with beef cattle, added more pears and grew sweet corn for area produce stands. “But my dad’s passion has always been livestock,” says Kevin.

Indeed, it was by default that their farm stayed in the family. “In the early ’70’s dad was thinking to sell out and buy a cattle ranch,” Kevin says. The property is very close to the city center, and developers were eying the flat land to build houses. “But the ALR came in and kiboshed that,” he says.

quired to import stock,” Kevin explains.

‘We have someone here who is growing root stock and for our last three plantings, we have been able to grow our own trees.”

George had stopped growing corn and Kevin planted an initial two acres. When his sister Karin returned to the farm, he was able to expand that to 10 acres. “I had gone to culinary school in Toronto and was working there as a chef for 18 years. My husband had passed away and I did not want to raise my son alone in the big city,” Karin explains. “I came back to the farm and thought I would continue to cook, but Kevin asked me to take over the farm stand.”

since added 6,000 sq feet of controlled atmosphere storage.

“You find a way to make it work if you want to continue to farm,” says Karin. ”In my opinion we are not doing anything radical or new, we are just having more control and efficiency.”

That efficiency brought Days Century Growers 8-10 cents a pound premium over what they had been getting at the Coop. Marketing is handled by Kelowna’s Consolidated Fruit Packers, and Star Produce out of Calgary. “We had hoped the packing house would break even and we did better than that the first year,” says Karin.

At 87 George still keeps about 50 beef cattle that he ranges in the hills above West Kelowna and feeds down on the farm through the winter. “He doesn’t like us planting trees on his hay land,” Kevin chuckles. “He still owns the farm and has the final say on any changes that we make.”

Forward 20 years, and the brother and sister team were at a cross roads. Pears are a minor crop in the valley and they didn’t feel they were getting the attention they needed from the BC Tree Fruits Coop. “Each year we were adding to our long term debt, and it looked like we were going to have to sell some property,” says Karin, who also manages the books for the business.

“Finally I went to Karin and said I am going to run the numbers on building our own packing house,” says Kevin. Those numbers were big, over $300,000 to construct the first packing line housed in a 10,000 sq foot building in 2010. They’ve

Photo by Andrew Barton

Photo by Andrew Barton

It’s been good for cash flow, as Kevin points out. “The returns come in earlier in the year and it now represents about 20% of the total farm income,” he says.

“We farm 150 acres including lease land and 35 of those are planted in pears.

Les Sheena, a long time employee, picking pears.

Those changes began over 30 years ago, when Kevin started planting more pears and more corn. The Bartlett, Anjou and Bosch pears are all on Old Home and Farmingdale cross rootstocks at 7&1/2 by 16 spacing. “They still haven’t developed winter hardy dwarf rootstocks to allow for more high density plantings,” comments Kevin.

Photo by Andrew Barton

Still, he considers less than 60 bins an acre to be a “light crop”. “Our best producing block is spaced 15x20 and we get 85-90 bins to the acre,” says Kevin.

Prior to 2010, trees were brought in from Washington and Oregon nurseries. “But pears don’t like the fumigation that is re

Fall 2019

25

“I don’t lay awake at night worrying about it anymore, though I did when we first built,” says Karin. “I know what we have done is the right thing for us and it is drawing our next generation because it is financially viable to support them.”

That’s a dilemma all through the BC fruit industry, Kevin points out. “A 10 or 15 acre orchard is not enough to support a family, so they work off farm and then it becomes really hard to run the farm to it’s full potential,” he says. “Kids look at how hard their parents have worked for so little return and they are not interested.” But the Day children are.

Health while doing media for the farm, has hosted some yoga retreats and has her eye on a pear cidery.

Erin’s sister Kati, who works for Interior

“Seeing the kids back here has made

Photo by Andrew Barton

Kevin’s daughter Erin came home from university three years ago to run the packing house and the vegetable stand.

Her husband Riley, a red seal welder, joins her there and is learning the orchard from Kevin. Karin’s son Sam is back in Kelowna still working as a heavy duty mechanic but looks to transition over to the farm full time in a couple of years.

“All we need now is a carpenter,” quips Karin.

Pear bins in the orchard.

everything we have done seem worthwhile,” says Karin. “For me that is the most important thing, that the next generation wants to be here.”

MILLION DOLLAR UPGRADE This summer saw the final installation of Days Century Growers newest packing line in time for the end of the Bartlett Pear harvest in August. The heart of the system is a brand new pear-specific Van Wamel B.V. Perfect Ellips optical sorter.

Photo by Tom Walker

“Ellips is a top optical sorter software company based in Holland,” explains Kevin Day, who with his sister Karin owns the packing house. World-wide, pears are a minor crop compared to apples, but they are 50% of the fruit grown in Holland. “Other companies can tune their apple machines to run pears but this Ellips is designed specifically for pears and The new pear-specific Van Wamel B.V. Perfect Ellips optical sorter.

is the first one installed in North America,“ says Kevin.

Photo by Tom Walker

“This new line will increase our efficiency by a minimum 20 per cent,” says Karin.

“We can do more with the same number of people,” But most important is the increased precision over manual sorting.

“When you manual sort it is human nature to err on the side of caution, so we always had top grade fruit that didn’t 26 Fall 2019

make it into premium cartons,” explains Erin Day, who runs the packing line. “The optical scanner on the Ellips doesn’t make that mistake.”

The new installation supports an enhanced traceability system, as well as many additional food safety features.

“We only touch each pear twice now,” says Kevin. “First when we pick it and then when we put it in the carton.”

Does My Future Lie Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

By Tom Walker That’s a question many later generation young farmers ask themselves when they are off the farm in a more urban setting, going to school, working in the hospitality industry, or, like Annelise Simonsen, a popular second hand bookstore in Victoria while she finished her art history degree.

“You know those lines from Elton John ‘I should have stayed on the farm I should have listened to my old man’?” Annelise asks. “Dad was trying to get me to come back to Naramata and he would phone me in Victoria and then hang up,” she chuckles.

“I know a ton about apples, but I am not a farmer, I am a red head who needs to stay covered up and indoors,” she says.

But farming is in her blood. Her mother’s family were some of the first to settle in Naramata. When her mother Cyndie, was in university, her father Peter grew vegetables in downtown Vancouver and strawberries in Victoria. “He was an urban farmer before the term was invented,” Annelise points out.

Annelise met Kaleigh Jorgensen, a Sas-

Photo by Tom Walker

The Simonsen family have run the 85 acre organic Northern Lights Orchard on the Naramata bench for the past 35 years.

Specializing in apples pears and peaches, brother Kevin farms with their dad Peter and Cyndie has just retired from a 30 year teaching career.

Annelise Simonsen, Director of Operations and Kaleigh Jorgensen, Cidermaker at Creek & Gully Cider.

katchewan transplant, when the two were working at Joy Road Catering in Penticton. “I swear I only introduced her to my brother for 3 seconds and now she’s my sister in-law.” she jokes. Making cider in the Simonsen’s garage was a natural progression for their food and orchard backgrounds and a lot of it was good.

Photo contributed

“My dad knew we were pretty good at making cider so he suggested we try it as a business” says Annelise. The first move was cider school in Washington state.

“We took some of our cider down with us and everyone liked it.”

“Our classmates were saying you need to do this for real,” Kaleigh adds. “We were going to get a Quonset hut and make

a bunch of keg stuff for our restaurant neighbours, but by the time we drove home we had hatched this entire plan.”

And it isn’t a Quonset hut. The pair designed a Scandinavian style cider house.

“It was a bit of an issue with the Penticton planning department,” says Annelise. “At first, they weren’t happy that the building has no over-hangs but it has a super tight rain shield and is really well insulated.” They broke ground last October and were able to move apples in for their first pressing in March.

“We found a niche, says Annelise, who is director of operations for the cidery. “I didn’t know how I was going to participate in the farm otherwise.”

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It is definitely a succession plan, cider maker Kaleigh adds. “We really wanted to keep this tradition going and find an economically feasible way to do it and use all of our skills.”

The cidery diversifies income while adding value to less than perfect fruit. “The aesthetics of fresh fruit are so intense,” Kaleigh points out. “So now instead of the Cawston packing house juicing our culls, we are able to get them back ourselves and use them.” Cider is the main product, but this season they have featured a peach apple nectar, using sunburned peaches.

Photo contributed

With the price of orchard land in the Okanagan, it simply is not feasible to be on your own, Kaleigh points out. And those who can afford to buy the land will sometimes take it out of farming. “So this becomes a simulacrum of a beautiful place, instead of an active and thriving economy.”

Inside and outside view of the Scandinavian style ciderhouse.

And while the orchard grows the current commercial varieties like Ambrosia, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady, the business partners have some secret weapons scattered amongst the higher density plantings. “We have some trees from the early 1900’s that have been grafted over, as well as older varieties like Newtowns,” says Kaleigh.

“So we blend a lot,” says Annelise, noting they have planted some cider specific varieties.

The cidery produces two styles at this time, Kaleigh explains. Pet Nat., short for the French term petillant natural or “naturally sparkling” is barrel fermented down to a certain level of residual sugar, popped into a bottle and finishes fermentation under pressure in the bottle creating bubbles.

They also do a traditional style, fermenting the juice until the residual sugar is gone. A yeast and sugar starter is added back to restart the fermentation process and again the ferment is finished in the bottle.

Temperature and racking do allow for some control, but this is very much a natural process Kaleigh emphasizes. “It 28 Fall 2019

Photo contributed

“The older trees really support the microbial community in the orchard,” says Kaleigh. “That is a key for us with our natural fermentation process. We do not add commercial yeast to our initial ferment.”

requires a lot more to let go and let it do it’s own thing, rather than decide what you want it to taste like in the very beginning, wipe out the existing microbial colonies and put something in there that will make it behave very predictably.”

Production this year was 1600 cases and they are looking to expand that by half each year for the next three. “It’s a hands on discovery for us and I don’t want to lose that,” says Kaleigh. “We have an opportunity to showcase the terroir of our apples, while we are caretakers of the

natural fermentation, constantly watching and tasting along the way.”

Kaleigh turns to the veteran farmer Peter to put their optimism in perspective “The thing Peter always says about farming is that every year you get to start from zero at the beginning of the season,” she says. “So what ever happened last year, the trees are going to be there and it is exciting to have a new season to do different things, to learn and grow over time.” ■

To Market, To Market for Fun and Profit

By Ronda Payne In an era where consumers are demanding to know more about the origins of their food, not only do farmers’ markets provide a great opportunity for sales, they are also the ideal place to engage in face-to-face conversations.

The BC Association of Farmers’ Markets (BCAFM) tallied more than 145 markets throughout BC in its 2018 annual report.

Given that not every market in the province is a member of the BCAFM, that means there are well over 150 markets that growers and producers can choose from to sell their wares. The majority of these run from late spring (May or June) to October. Some offer special events and/or winter markets as well.

The Port Coquitlam Farmers Market has been running for 11 years and is the sister

Photo by Ronda Payne

That conversation flows readily at a number of markets in the Lower Mainland where, surprisingly, vendors hail from various locations around the province.

But, success at farmers’ markets comes with preparation and planning. Vendors must be prepared with enough great product, a welcoming display, a desire to talk to customers and the time it takes to bring it all together and attend.

Port Coquitlam Farmers' Market.

market to the Haney Farmers Market in Maple Ridge. With about 50 vendors in attendance each Thursday afternoon in Port Coquitlam, it’s a busy location that Manjeet Dhaliwal of Dhaliwal Farms in Oliver has attended for four or five years.

“I like the environment,” she says. “Ev-

erybody is happy and that gives us more energy to come back.”

A welcoming environment and customers willing to spend money while walking and talking are key, especially for higher-priced items like alcohol. Fraser Valley Cider Company has been going to Port Coquitlam for at least two years and Dragon Mist Distillery has been attending for about four years. Dragon Mist’s manager Syrus So notes that people are nice, but it’s the other factors that keep him coming back.

“People spend money to buy,” he says of the PQ market. “Some markets have lots of people but they don’t buy.”

It also helps if markets are well organized and Taryn Thiara with Thiara Blueberry Farms has been attending the Haney market for years and brings a positive approach to sales of blueberries.

Photo by Ronda Payne

“We just [charge] enough to cover our costs and the rest is donated,” she says.

“We want to provide quality fruit at an affordable price. Just getting to know our customers and getting to interact is so nice.”

Another reason for attending farmers markets is brand-building and Cheryl Lat-

Mandair Farms' booth at the New Westminster Farmers' Market.

Fall 2019

29

er of Wawa’s Jams and Jellys sells primarily through farmers’ markets.

“My jams get out because I don’t do anything in the stores,” she explains. “People come from all over for my jams and jellies.”

Mother and daughter, Naomi and Jaclyn Nicole Lark of Lark’s Nest Preserves sell almost exclusively at the Fort Langley market and have done so for seven years.

They go through upwards of 50 jars of product at a single Saturday market.

“Most people find us here,” says Naomi.

“And we get our produce from others that also sell here.”

“We’re just supporting local and we need to be supported locally and New Westminster is very supportive,” he says.

“It is so local and it truly brings community together. New West is good at that.”

As one of the only urban, yet traditional, winemakers in Canada, Pacific Breeze makes about 4,000 cases of wine each year. They sell 17 different SKUs made from grapes from California, Washington and BC. For Trisha Gagnon of Jam’n Music, the

Photo by Ronda Payne

Obviously being close to the market is convenient, but it isn’t the only factor in choosing the right one. For some, like Maurice Hamilton of Pacific Breeze Urban Winery, it’s about being part of the community where they do business.

Nena Asuncion of West Coast Cider at the New Westminster market.

Haney market is close to family members.

“Family is really important to me. I tend to pick ones close to family and my sister lives here,” she says. “It’s a really great market, really well run. The people who attend are great and I love the setting in the park.”

Wayne Erdman is one of those who regularly travels a few hours to the Abbotsford market. His orchard, Okanagan Fresh Fruits, is located in Okanagan Falls and he’s been selling fruit in Abbotsford for more than 30 years.

“I come to the bigger cities; fruit sells good here,” he explains. “I have a lot of repeat customers and the people are great.”

In one day, Erdman expects to sell about 1,200 pounds of plums and about 800 pounds of apples.

Photo by Ronda Payne

Having an attractive set-up is essential to drawing customers in. Attractive doesn’t mean complicated; in fact, simplicity can be the best element. Erdman’s display is simple. A couple of covered tables with the bagged produce neatly organized on top.

Maurice Hamilton of Pacific Breeze Urban Winery at the New West Market.

30 Fall 2019

At the New Westminster market, Parmeet Hunsra of Mandair Farms has a bit more work to set up her display, but not much. The simplicity of their black banner and black table cloth give the linedup baskets of fruit a classy look that’s inviting. The Lark’s Nest display is also

eye-catching because of its consistent use of red and well-faced products at varying heights.

A chalk board with prices and a banner with the operation’s name give a sense of credibility to a display and informs the customer of what to expect. Add some wooden crates to create storage and height and a market booth will go from ho-hum to something more inviting.

Nena Asuncion of West Coast Cider attends the New Westminster market because of the people and how well the market is managed. She lets her products create a welcoming display with West Coast Cider branding on her tent, signage and shirt, but cider products taking up the table space.

Growers and producers considering selling at a farmers’ market should do an online search for the markets in their preferred locations to learn the days of the week they are held, get contact information for organizers and find out details on what new vendor spots are open and the criteria for participating.

Beginning the research process is easy with help from the BCAFM website at https://bcfarmersmarket.org/.

Be sure to consider markets outside your immediate area. As a number of vendors have learned, this can be quite beneficial to the bottom line and getting a brand out in the world. ■

Photo by Ronda Payne

Farm, Food & Cider Find Diverse Channels

Jaye Siegmueller, Tara Harrington, Isaac Potash and Rick Harrington at the cider bar.

By Ronda Payne At some point, Isaac Potash knew he was going to do something with the two acres he’d left vacant at his north Kelowna orchard. Maybe a fruit stand, maybe something else… but that space was left for the future while the orchard on the other 18 acres grew and flourished.

Photo by Ronda Payne

“I’m from Cawston,” he explains. “My dad started the organic packing house there. I moved to Kelowna and still wanted to farm.”

Potash planted a range of different fruit trees including 12 varieties of apples, of which seven are dessert varieties and five are cider varieties.

“We have just under 150 bins of pears, just under eight acres of cherries,” he says. “Also peaches, garlic, and prunes.”

The organic farm in Kelowna started in 2010.

With all that fruit, it was only natural to start a cider house.

Potash, his life-partner Jaye Siegmueller and friends Rick and Tara Harrington started work on the cidery building in the fall of 2017 and Upside Cider opened on June 8, 2019. The project was an investment shared by the two couples as well as a few silent investors.

The businesses are separate, but customers can walk between the two and around the retail/tasting spaces that make up part of the 6,000 square foot downstairs area. Upstairs is a patio that overlooks the orchard as well as space accommodating the necessary bathrooms, kitchen and offices.

While one might think this is your standard cidery, it’s not, in that Potash and Siegmueller always knew there would be a market attached. Sunreal Organic Farm and Market names the orchard as well as the market retail space next door to the cidery.

“Local, organic food produced by us and other farmers in the area,” Siegmueller says.

The vision for the market is fresh and local and will include produce, meat, cheese, dairy and other food options.

Even Canadian Cheese Ambassador David Beaudoin is going to

Fall 2019

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I wanted to make it easy for people that wanted to support local farmers, People sign up online… we fill the box with the freshest, local, best produce.

Jaye Siegmueller

be part of the market, bringing in some of the best cheeses from across the country. He will break them down into smaller sections for retail sales as well as for sale to local wineries.

“We will have great cheese here,” she adds. “We have the best damn charcuterie in the whole valley. Every ingredient is specifically chosen.”

Back on the other side of the building, Upside Cider has five different flavours (and counting) and produced 8,000 liters in the first run with more cider still aging. The focus is on organic, wholesome fruit to make good cider that is currently sold onsite, in a few Kelowna restaurants and at some wineries.

Photo by Kimberly Brooke Photography

“We can make such great cider because the apples are so good,” says Potash. “What we grow, it’s the best fruit in the world. Growing cider and making cider are two completely different things.”

Farm Bound Organic Zero Waste Grocery in Kelowna.

Photo contributed

Rick Harrington and Potash grew up in Cawston, learned how to grow great fruit and spent time with others who’d gone into the cider business before them, so they had support. More importantly, Potash understood growing and established his orchard long before the cider house came along.

“It was so fun and we’d be down there helping Twisted Hills Cider,” Harrington says. “We just had all these friends that we’d grown up with. It was easy to get into.”

Pouring at Upside Cider.

The road from starting to opening was long but eventually things were close enough to ‘pull off the Band-aid’ and open the doors to the public.

“All of a sudden Isaac said, ‘we’ll open Friday’,” notes Harrington. “We got open and we did it. We hosted a BC Chefs Association dinner that day.”

The cider-making duties are a team effort shared between Harrington, Potash and Siegmueller. In time, thing will shift more to: Potash – Grow; Harrington – Make, and Siegmueller – Sell.

Tara Harrington is a teacher in Alberta, so currently her involvement is minimal, although enthusiastic.

Photo contributed

“I really kind of enjoy having families in,” Potash says. “We do a juice flight for kids. It’s a super fun place to be.”

Bringing the farm to others The concept of fresh, healthy food is long ingrained in Sieg32 Fall 2019

mueller. After she helped get the Monashee Co-op started in Lumby in 2013 she began Farm Bound, an organic food delivery company. It was designed to connect people with organic food and the farmers who grow it.

makers that have integrity with their products.”

“I wanted to make it easy for people that wanted to support local farmers,” she explains.

Organic produce is at the heart of everything happening with Sunreal Organic Farm and Market as well as the other businesses run by this group of family and friends. It’s a fresh, organic approach to regular grocery shopping, specialty produce and the indulgence of hard cider. ■

Siegmueller’s intention is to shift consumer consciousness around consumption, to move people to use less product and packaging wherever they can.

But sometimes a good idea goes gangbusters and not long after the business started in 2015, Siegmueller found she was delivering produce to 18 BC communities from a single warehouse in Vernon.

“People sign up online, pick the size of the box they want and the frequency and each week, we fill the box with the freshest, local, best produce,” she says.

Now, customers can also add bread, milk, meat and other elements to their delivery box. They can even swap things out they don’t want and replace them with other items.

Farm Bound doesn’t just benefit customers and the business, but also the farmers who supply the products.

With bigger crops, we have contracts for our basic items,” Siegmueller says. “One of our farmers does all of our greens. They know we need 100 heads of greens a week, they can plan for it.

We’ve even had farmers who’ve expanded their business with confidence because they knew we were getting produce from them.”

Tied to Farm Bound is Farm Bound Zero Waste, a zero waste organic grocery.

Photo by Kimberly Brooke Photography

“It’s all managed out of our same warehouse,” she says. “I just knew we could do better. It’s an invitation to consumers to consider how they do things.”

Some of the produce sold at Zero Waste comes from Farm Bound, it gives Siegmueller greater buying power, but it isn’t the produce that tops the sales.

“It’s vegan milks, cheese and body care items,” she explains.

“It’s all small, local makers.” Top sellers include shampoo and conditioner bars and cleaning products.

“We’re so committed to ingredient integrity that some things are more expensive,” she says. “I’m committed to small local

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The Many Benefits of BC Blueberries

By Ronda Payne It was in the late ‘90s when the news that blueberries had high antioxidant levels started making its way into the public consciousness. This was at a time when many people didn’t even know what antioxidants were or why they would want them in their diet.

Leslie Wada, owner of LW Consulting in the San Francisco area (and a previous research administrator with the US Highbush Blueberry Council), explains that the research into blueberries has continued far past ORAC levels and antioxidants when she spoke to producers at the International Blueberry Organization summit earlier this year.

“In general, blueberries have one of the highest levels of antioxidants,” she says.

“There has been an increase in the number of studies on the health (benefits) of blueberries [after this discovery.]”

adults to some degree. This assumption is supported by MRIs that were done on individuals who were eating more blueberries, as the MRI showed an increase of blood oxygen levels in the brain.

Studies weren’t the only thing that increased due to the new revelations about antioxidants.

Other studies around blueberries and cognitive function are ongoing, including a $20 million study by the US Alzheimer’s Association on preventing cognitive decline that includes blueberries as part of a complete lifestyle diet.

Wada says that as research into blueberries grew and benefits were discovered, there was a correlating increase in farm gate sales. Researchers were wondering what other properties existed in blueberries that could be beneficial to human health. While there have been many studies, she focused on three health areas where blueberries are proven to benefit humans; cognitive function, insulin resistance and cardiovascular health.

In a study of retired individuals, scientists were hoping to see similar results in humans as in tests where older mice, which were fed blueberries, had the ability to respond and react with improved memory as quickly as younger mice. In the human study, the retirees were given the equivalent of a cup of blueberries (in a dried powder form) for 90 days.

“Those who were given the blueberries had fewer errors in a verbal test,” explains Wada. “There is an enhanced neural response.”

In a similar task-based test, those receiving the blueberries had fewer wrong answers. Thus, it is believed that blueberries can improve cognitive function in 34 Fall 2019

In a recent diabetes and insulin study, fat was seen to create insulin resistance, but blueberries were seen as a food that can help reduce that unhealthy trend.

“If you feed those same mice a high fat diet, but add blueberries, they become less insulin resistant,” Wada says. “Researchers surmised that blueberries improved beta cell function.”

In a study of obese humans, the equivalent of two cups of blueberries were administered and the results were similar to that of the mice in that the amount of insulin required to keep glucose levels stable was reduced.

“There was improved insulin sensitivity in obese, insulin resistant humans,” she explains.

Blueberry studies are also showing that the fruit can help promote heart health; a positive discovery given that Wada says 31 per cent of all global deaths are linked to cardiovascular disease.

“We’ve done a couple of studies of blood

pressure and blueberries,” she says, adding that one positive study involved postmenopausal women with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. “When they were fed blueberries, they showed a significant drop in their blood pressure,” notes Wada.

In another study conducted in the UK with 115 overweight men and women for six months, participants were given a placebo, ½ cup of blueberries or one cup of the fruit. The Flow Mediated Dilation was measured in these subjects at the three month and six month marks. This is the rate or speed at which an artery can dilate in response to the bodies need for increased blood flow (a stressor).

The study found an improvement in the flow mediated dilation rate, which means there is the potential for a reduction in cardiovascular disease in those who ate one cup of blueberries daily. Additionally, there was also an increase in the healthy cholesterol levels of participants who consumed the one cup a day level.

Wada says the data continues to show blueberries are continuing to prove their worth in human health. As studies carry on and information is disseminated to the public, the berries are more likely to keep growing in popularity as a regular part of the daily North American diet.

This will correlate to an increase in blueberry sales both at the farmgate and through retail channels. ■

Wine Growing in a Warming World

By Tom Walker Could we be growing Cabernet Sauvignon in Kelowna or perhaps even Carignan?

Jones says global warming will bring changes in crop mix to wine regions all over the world, including BC’s Okanagan Valley.

“In a cool climate region, a one degree celsius increase in the average temperature can change the location at which a grape varietal can be grown successfully,” Jones told the 2019 Enology and Viticulture

Photo by James Zandecki | Dreamstime.com

That may be possible one day, according to Dr. Greg Jones, the Director of the Evenstad Center for Wine Education and Chair in Wine Studies at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon.

Pinot Noir grapes during veraison in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

a two-degree growing season climate niche and does best when average temperatures are between about 14-16’C.” he notes. “A cool year in Burgundy produces a lighter style wine, while warmer years bring out bolder characteristics.”

Conference in Penticton in July.

“I always like to talk about Pinot Noir,” says Jones, explaining that the varietal needs a very narrow climate range to produce a high-quality product. “Pinot Noir has roughly

Jones adds that while you can grow Pinot Noir in a cooler area, it may not be ripe and in a hotter area it may be over ripe and headed for the bulk wine bin.

For example, Jones says a three degree increase in the

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average temperature in Oregon’s Willamette Valley would transform the noted Pinot Noir region from Burgundy to Bordeaux style wines.

“We know that as climate structure changes over time, it really influences suitability,” Jones says. And it’s not just a latitude shift he adds. “Grapes will be grown in more northerly regions, but also at higher latitudes and broader coastal locations.”

Regardless of your thoughts on the cause, the earth is warming, Jones notes. “The earth is warmer now than at any time in our recorded past,” he says, and continued warming is highly likely.

“Along with that, models tell us there will be increasing variability and extremes in our weather as well.”

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What does that mean for grape growers? Jones points out that wine grapes are some of the most difficult crops to grow successfully. “Viticulture is a very complex system where all plant growth stages need to work successfully for good wine grape production.”

The increase of 1-2 degrees Celsius in the average temperature that has occurred in the last 50-100 years in wine regions globally, impacts the industry in a number of ways Jones says. We see changes in cool season chilling, which may lead to a lack of dormancy for vines. There are increasing impacts of heat stress on vines, which will affect grape quality. A warming atmosphere raises humidity and disease pressure, increasing challenges for growers. And sugar, acid, phenolics and flavours, grow out of balance, leading to a change in wine style. Jones notes there has been a 2 to 2.5 % increase in alcohol content in wines globally since the 1950s. These are all indications that the suitability of a variety to a particular region can change over time.

“To look at it simplistically though, somewhere between a simple measure of too cold or too hot there is a sweet zone for a variety,” Jones says. But are we able to manage vines differently or is there some ability for a variety to expand its capability across a climate threshold?

The industry needs to look at more genetic potential, Jones argues. “We have a tremendous genetic potential within Vitus vinifera and I think we are a bit too narrow,” he says. “Understanding how varieties perform in other places, may help the industry breed new varieties in the future.

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“We also really need to understand landscape potential for adaptation,” Jones adds. For example, he points out that planting on a south facing slope may not be the best thing to do in the future, when that region sees a lot more heat. Training systems, canopy geometry, row orientation and shade materials all become important in areas experiencing higher heat stress and overall climate stress. “We also need to understand root stock and scion combinations, so we can really understand that connection between soil and climate,” he says. “And lastly I think grape wine water use efficiency and irrigation management will become more critical as we get into a hotter and drier world.”

Jones notes that while there is a great diversity of wine grape varieties across the world, the industry does not have much knowledge on how they can perform across different climates.

“We tend to focus on what is marketable and I totally get it,” Jones says. “But we need to focus on those other varieties, so we can match them to the climates that we are going to see, not only today but in the future.” ■

 WHAT IT'S WORTH | BRIAN PAULUZZI, AACI

How to Branch Out Successfully on the Farm Even smaller wineries such as The Vibrant Vine have successfully taken a page from this book to strengthen their business model with live music and outdoor theatre.

Today, visitors to several of our local wineries can expect amenities such as restaurants, luxury suites and spas to enhance and lengthen the guest experience. Mission Hill Family Estate, for example, offers stunning architecture, wine cellar tours, culinary workshops and outdoor amphitheater concerts while a trip to Nk’Mip Cellars can include the full resort experience including luxury condo stays with swimming pools and golf.

Photo contributed

F

ollowing in the footsteps of successful wineries in both Europe and California, Okanagan wine growers have long taken advantage of a proven diversity model to enrich their yearly bottom lines as well as their land and “going-concern” or business values.

Wineries first started branching out by offering an on-site culinary experience. For some, these restaurants quickly grew to offer world-class dining featuring renowned chefs to compliment in-house wine pairings. One wonders, if wineries are finding increased success through the serving of food, why aren’t the food producers themselves following suit? Wouldn’t visitors to a picturesque organic farm, for example, almost expect an opportunity to sit down and enjoy a freshly prepared, farm-to-table meal?

Unfortunately for farmers and orchardists, the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) conditions for opening a restaurant are quite obstructive. The practice of preparing and selling one’s produce in an eatery, even if situated on the farm where that food is grown and harvested, is deemed non-farm use by

Row 14 at Klippers opened in August 2019, the restaurant is offering meals to foodies looking to experience organic farm-to-fork cuisine.

the ALC. Fruit and vegetable growers can only entertain diversification through food service if their farm produces an alcoholic beverage. Therefore, only orchardists or farm-

ers willing to also grow, produce and sell wine, beer, cider or mead can open an on-site restaurant. With this requirement, it’s easy to see how the price of diversification can be

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Klippers Organics, for example, began as a small Certified Organic farm created by co-founders Kevin and Annamarie Klippenstein in 2001. Both Kevin and Annamarie came from a lifetime of experience in the production and preparation of organic foods. As their successful farm business grew, the Klippensteins reinvested into their business by expanding land holdings from 5 acres to 40 acres.

A larger farm brought more opportunity to foster agritourism.

With increased crop size and produce sales, Kevin and Annamarie began financing the construction of amenities and services to enhance their guest experience. In February 2018, a new building was designed specifically to accommodate a farm cidery. Klippers’ Untangled Craft Cider now offers a selection of varietal ciders made from the organic apples grown on the farm.

With the cidery in the works, Kevin and Annamarie were now in ALC compliance and eager to get started with the preparation and serving of the foods they were growing. Row 14 of the orchard was removed to make room for a farm eatery, aptly named Row 14 at Klippers. As of August 2019, the restaurant is open offering meals to foodies looking to experience organic farm-to-fork cuisine in its purest form.

In addition to the new restaurant and cidery, Klippers Organics also offers four fully equipped, well-appointed guest suites to an increasing number of farm-stay visitors looking for the complete agri-experience. With substantial land holdings, improvements and assets, the farm now benefits from a variety of amenities, increased visits and diverse and sustainable income streams.

Is it worth it? That is the million-dollar question, sometimes quite literally. Some of the larger, established wineries have spent at least that much on their restaurants and accommodations. But success isn’t based solely on investment; the performance of a farm’s tourism venture depends on a variety of factors such as location, food quality, financial management and social media reviews, to name a few.

In a world where food production is increasingly mechanized, many consumers are growing skeptical and seeking out healthy alternatives. Agritourism is on the rise. The trend suggests that farmers can only benefit from supplementing their agricultural incomes by opening their gates to a public hungry not only to understand how foods are naturally cultivated, but to savour the difference. ■ Brian Pauluzzi is an Okanagan-based Commercial Appraiser (AACI) and owner of NCA Commercial Inc. in Kelowna. www. ncacommercial.com

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prohibitive from the onset. Yet, more and more brave farmers are taking the leap in hopes of offsetting these up-front costs over time. It’s no wonder boutique wineries, cider houses and meaderies are sprouting throughout the Okanagan.

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 LEGAL LIBATIONS | HANAN CAMPBELL

Legal Deals: A Castle for a Peppercorn The consideration in Jane and Joe’s contract is $1.00 and the promise of both parties to perform the obligations described in their contract (namely, Joe to provide Jane with the car and Jane to accept the car). Without that exchange of consideration, Joe will have made a gift of the car to Jane. If Joe changed his mind and decided not to give the car to Jane, the courts could not force Joe to do so.

contains the following language: “NOW THEREFORE THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSES that in consideration of the sum of ONE DOLLAR ($1.00), and the premises and mutual covenants and agreements herein, the parties agree as follows: …”.

I

n my last article, I wrote about making the law accessible and understandable. I’d like to continue with that theme and discuss the concept of “consideration.”

For this article, I’m going to introduce two fictional characters: Jane and Joe. Let’s assume that Jane has offered to buy Joe’s 2019 Rolls Royce and Joe has accepted that offer. They now want to document this arrangement in a contract. Their contract

In order for Jane and Joe’s contract to be legally established, each side to the contract must receive something of value from the other. This “something of value” is called “consideration.” Without some form of consideration, a contract will not be enforceable by the courts. If there is no consideration exchanged, there is no contract. If there is no contract, there is only a voluntary promise, or a gift, which is not enforceable by the courts.

Consideration seals the deal.

Once Jane has paid Joe that $1.00, a legally enforceable contract is created and the parties must perform their obligations within it. If one of the parties fails or refuses to performs its part of the contract, that party can be sued for breach of contract

and may have to pay to the innocent party money in the amount of the losses the innocent party has suffered as a result of that party failure or refusal to perform.

But is it reasonable for Jane to pay only $1.00 for Joe’s 2019 Rolls Royce? The answer, surprisingly, is yes! The adequacy of the consideration is for the parties to determine at the time of making the contract.

The courts will not weigh in on whether the consideration is adequate. Unless there is any evidence of fraud or duress, the courts assume the parties are both equally capable of looking after their own interests. Any consideration, even of nominal value, is sufficient for the purposes of establishing a contract so long as it is

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acceptable to the parties to the contract.

The following are examples of consideration the courts have found valid: • a lobster licence in exchange for a catch of lobster, tuna and swordfish1 • a $1.00 purchase price for land in exchange for the purchaser’s promise to build a library on that land2 • three chocolate bar wrappers in exchange for a gramophone3.

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And so why not a peppercorn in exchange for a castle? If you think I’m joking, I stumbled across an online article in The Scotsman, entitled “Castle for a peppercorn rent”4. One lucky individual has the opportunity to live next door to Queen Elizabeth II at Invercauld Castle in Scotland (it sits opposite Balmoral Castle, where the Queen vacations annually). In exchange for a peppercorn for rent, the trustees of the castle estate will enter into a lease agreement for up to 20 years. The catch? Under the lease agreement, the tenant is required to invest in extensive improvements to the castle to the tune of 450,000.00 (roughly $727,242.75 in Canadian dollars) over 10 to 20 years.

So, if you have any peppercorns burning a hole in your pocket, be very careful how you use them. While it might seem like a great bargain, the responsibilities of running a castle, I am told, are quite daunting. ■ Hanan Campbell is an Okanaganbased lawyer at Avery Law Office in Summerland. Her legal practice is focused on assisting clients with a variety of corporate commercial matters. www.averylawoffice.ca 1 Fish Reduction Ltd. v. Malone, 1999 CanLII 2314 (NS CA)

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 MARKETING MIX | LEEANN FROESE

Don’t Leave Money on the Table: Ask For the Sale ket, like what we have in BC, there is no longer the luxury of not asking for the sale,” he notes. ”Great reps ask for the sale every time, all others are just visiting.”

the challenges and hurdles that wineries, their sales agents, and their trade customers face.

I

recently met with a colleague of mine, Rod Phillips. Rod is a veteran in the liquor industry and is the former head buyer for the Liquor Plus retail chain. Living in Victoria with his wife and two kids, today Rod is co-founder of Liquify.ca, an online marketplace that serves liquor buyers and agents in British Columbia, and is also the host of the Dork UnCorked Radio Show on CFAX 1070.

He and I were talking about

“The market in BC has changed significantly in the last five years,” he says. “It has never been as competitive as it is right now. There are more than 16 SKUs for every available space on a store shelf. That impacts every BCmade product as well as every import. It also impacts how suppliers and their sales reps approach each call. Where the rubber hits the road for every supplier and agent is at the transaction level, the sale.”

While this is a column on marketing, sales and marketing are deeply intertwined. The differences between the two are that selling focuses on the needs of the seller, while the marketing focuses on the needs of the buyer. Selling works to turn products into cash while marketing works to satisfy the customers' needs through the product. In all my years in the industry, I have never directly sold wine.

So my conversation with Rod caused me a lot of reflection.

I thought about how often wineries give away time and

One of the most common problems Phillips reports is that sales reps are often not actually asking for the sale.

“In a hyper-competitive mar-

8

product, and are not actually asking for the sale. So what’s stopping you?

Don’t Just Visit Fear of rejection, lack of confidence in your product, not being sure how to ask, or wanting to be friends with the customer are all reasons that we might not ask for the sale.

It takes a lot of sweat equity and cost to make a wine, and it is reasonable to be nervous that someone might not like it. But try not to be concerned and don’t take it personally if the buyer says no. It means they don’t want what you have now, but it doesn’t mean that they reject your brand outright or you as a person.

Strong relationships are the

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foundation of successful selling. A strong relationship increases your influence because your customer respects your experience and advice. But sales representatives can confuse strong business relationships for friendship, and then fear ruining that friendship if they ask for the sale. What needs to be kept in mind is that while relationships are a key part of selling beverage alcohol, the sales rep-customer relationship is a professional one, and the sales call or visit from a tourist to your tasting bar is a professional exchange. Remember that the buyer knows that you’re a sales professional and that your job is to ask for a commitment – they're expecting you to ask.

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Untrained salespeople invest valuable time with potential customers who are perfectly willing to make a purchase.

These sales reps talk and talk and talk, but because they never ask for the sale, the buyer decides to shop around some more or move on. They were told, not sold. Your buyer has a need and you have a solution, so, ask them to do business with you.

Once you’ve done a good job explaining the features and benefits of your products, you have every right to ask the potential customer if they’d like the opportunity to enjoy those benefits by purchasing what you’re selling.

Plus if a sales rep calls on a potential customer, makes a pitch and doesn’t follow through by asking for the business, it’s abnormal and even a bit rude. The customer can be left wondering what’s the point. They might be thinking ‘does this rep really think I have nothing better to do with my time than listen to them?’

Remember, selling is a process of matching the needs of your customer with the benefits of your product. That process isn’t completed until you ask for the sale. ■ Leeann Froese owns Vancouver-based Town Hall Brands – a full service marketing agency that specializes in wine, food, and hospitality. See Leeann’s work at townhallbrands.com or follow online at @townhallbrands

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info@orchardandvine.net 42 Fall 2019

 SEEDS OF GROWTH | GLEN LUCAS

Child Safety on Farms

S

afety of workers is very important, but when a young child of a farm family is injured in the farm workplace… I leave it up to you to think about the consequences for you and your family. Why do such accidents occur and how can they be avoided?

First a few facts. The Western Producer reports that while there is a reduction of youth injuries on the farm, the death rate from farm youth accidents is unchanged. So while

ment” and drowning. Focusing on tractor and ATV injuries, we can assume the child deaths are caused from the falls when there are multiple riders on tractors, ATV rollovers, and being struck by vehicles.

injury numbers have dropped, indicating an improvement in child safety, the most severe injuries are unchanged.

It is reported that between 2003 and 2012 in Canada, 843 children died as a result of agriculture-related incidents, and 570 (68%) of those incidents occurred from May to October. That is one child death on a Canadian farm every 4 days. This means the farm workplace is a very hazardous place for children and we all need to recognize and improve the need for safety initiatives for children on the farm. What happens to cause these child deaths?

A recent court case in Ontario convicted a father of criminal negligence causing death of his child in a ‘bobcat loader’ mishap. The incident occurred on the farm, where the father, 32, allowed his four-year-old son to take a ride in the bucket of the bobcat. The child suffered a fatal head injury after falling out of a bucket and being struck by the bobcat, while his father wasn’t looking.

Most child deaths are the result of using tractors, ATVs and motorized vehicles. Some are caused by “grain engulf-

In sentencing the father, the judge found that the father would never risk his children’s

lives again. The grief and remorse of the father were not questioned by the judge. The judge noted the father had made safety improvements on his farm and others in his community had done the same. The judge placed a 10 year ban on the father driving and assigned counselling and community service time - aimed at educating others in the farm community about child safety and the tragic incident on the father’s Ontario farm.

What can you do on your farm? The National Children’s Centre in the US suggests the following: •K eep kids away from tractors. Currently four out of five farm children regularly ride on tractors.

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• Keep young children out of the worksite.

• Recognize that ATVs and ‘bobcats’ are hazardous for youth.

• Develop a safe play area on the farm.

• Ensure work is age appropriate.

• Ensure the environment is as safe as possible.

• Eliminate distractions (i.e. cell phones).

• Provide training for work tasks and pose safety questions for impulsive teenagers to engage their thinking actively about safety.

• Provide training, monitor, and provide feedback on safety.

• Model safe behaviours (show them by doing) - your children will follow your lead.

Applying these common sense initiatives can save a life - your child’s life - on your farm. There is also lots of information, great ideas and help for you on how to improve farm safety for your children.

AgSafeBC is a great place to start to review and learn more about farm safety.

AgSafe is not a regulator; their business is education and providing assistance to you to ensure your farm is as safe as it can be.

Here are some ways that AgSafeBC can help: • AgSafe has a great online site, agsafebc.ca • Free materials, such as safety signs, handbooks,forms etc. - in multiple languages, On-line courses, Arranging an On-site safety course, Tree fruit industry specific templates agsafebc.ca/ industry-resources/orchards/ • AgSafe offers free on-site consultations (1-877-533-1789) • AgSafe offers the Certificate of Recognition (COR) Program that is a self-review of your farm safety initiatives which gets you a reduced WorkSafeBC premium.

With so many tools and so much free assistance, it is easy to become confused or complacent about farm safety. However, keeping our children safe on the farm should be the biggest motivator we have to ensure our farms have safe farm practices. The Ontario father involved in the tragic accident of his child would agree, do not wait until it is too late - make farm safety a priority and start every day thinking about improving farm safety. ■ Glen Lucas, General Manager, BCFGA 44 Fall 2019

 THE WORD ON WINE | CARIE JONES

BCWI Welcomes New Board of Directors BCWI Chair Christa-Lee McWatters presented the BCWI Industry Recognition Award to two recipients in gratitude of their respective many years of outstanding contribution to the British Columbia wine industry. Jeffrey Thomas, Chair of the BC Wine Authority for 10 years, and Darrell Jones, President of Save-OnFoods were each honoured with the BCWI Industry Recognition Award.

David Kozuki and BCWI President & CEO Miles Prodan continue as ex officio non-voting members.

F

ollowing another successful Annual General Meeting (AGM) that brought together winery owners and representatives from across BC, the BC Wine Institute (BCWI) is happy to announce its new Board of Directors.

At the AGM, held July 9 in Kelowna, Dapinder Gill (Kismet Estate Winery) was newly elected as a member of the Board of Directors, while Leo Gebert (St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery) and David Wilson (Mark Anthony Group) were re-elected as Board members.

Continuing their directorships are Chair Christa-Lee McWatters (Encore Vineyards), Vice Chair Ezra Cipes (Summerhill Pyramid Winery), Charlie Baessler (Corcelettes Estate Winery), Greg Berti (Andrew Peller), Erik Fisher (Monte Creek Ranch Winery) and Josie Tyabji (Arterra Wines Canada). BC Grapegrowers’ Association representative

“It has been a busy year in the BC wine industry, and we appreciate the time commitment and dedication of our volunteer Board of Directors and committee members,” notes Prodan. “We look forward to working with our newly appointed Board member Dapinder Gill and continuing Board members, including BCWI Chair Christa-Lee McWatters, to evolve the BC wine industry and take the vision of our member wineries and the BC wine industry’s WineBC2030 Long-Term Strategic Plan to the next level.”

The BCWI would also like to thank outgoing Director Tony Holler (Poplar Grove Winery) and Independent Director Douglas Friend for their contributions to the Board during their terms.

“Richard and Robert have been fundamental in planting and farming most of the premium vineyard sites and production methods for grape farmers post free trade agreement in 1990,” said BCWI President & CEO Miles Prodan. “Together they have more than 45 years of grapegrowing experience and are two of the most knowledgeable viticulturists in the province.” ■

Following the official meeting in July, the BCWI welcomed keynote speaker Provincial Agriculture Minister Lana Popham to the 2019 BC Wine Industry Awards, which recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond to support and enhance British Columbia’s grape wine industry.

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To learn more visit WineBC.com.

Comings & Goings at BCWI In addition to welcoming new Board members in July, the BCWI is also pleased to announce some changes and new additions to the team.

Candice Tipton joined the organization in April 2019 as the new Marketing Manager. Candice brings 19 years of project management experience to her new role ̶ working as an award-winning producer in the television production industry, responsible for overseeing documentary and lifestyle television productions from the early stages of development to final delivery.

Carie Jones also joined the organization in August 2019 as the new Communications Manager. Carie brings 14 years of communications, marketing and broadcast experience to her new role. Carie most recently held the position of Associate Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for Great-West Life in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Laura Kittmer recently moved into her new role as Communications Director. Prior to moving into her role, Laura held the position of Media Relations Manager with the BCWI for four years.

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Fall 2019

45

Celebrating the Life of Harry McWatters The “Godfather of British Columbia Wine”, Harry McWatters, passed away in Summerland on July 23, 2019 at the age of 74.

In keeping with his strong preference for good wine and cheer, his family and close friends held a celebration at Penticton Lakeside Resort on August 9, attended by more than 800 people, including his large, extended family and numerous friends and colleagues. As they sipped sparkling wine, an abundance of stories and anecdotes, kind words and songs of inspiration and humour that personified his life, filled the room.

Since the pivotal day in 1968 when he became Casabello Wines’ first salesman, Harry has been a driving force in the BC and Canadian wine industry. Being the visionary and innovative thinker he was, he knew what it would take to transform BC wine into one of the world’s best and he worked tirelessly to that end with passion and determination. When he partnered with Lloyd Schmidt in 1980 to

46 Fall 2019

establish Sumac Ridge, it was BC’s first estate winery (compared to approximately 350 today) and home to BC’s first winery restaurant. As well, Sumac Ridge was the first winery in BC to develop a commercially successful sparkling wine and the first to use Meritage on the label for its Bordeaux-style blends.

Among his many achievements, he was instrumental in founding and chairing the Okanagan Wine Festival Society, the British Columbia Wine Institute, VQA Canada, the British Columbia Hospitality Foundation and the British Columbia Wine Information Society. Most recently, he served as President of Encore of Vineyards, owner of Evolve Cellars in Summerland and Time Winery & Kitchen in Penticton. His numerous accolades include two-time Jubilee Medals from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Order of British Columbia.

Our warm thoughts and sincere condolences to Harry’s family and friends. ■

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