the Vanderhorsts
Ray and I have known each other our whole lives. We grew up next door to each other. Both born and raised on farms with lots of freedom and space to run and play. We went to school together our whole lives and got married young. We moved to the Okanagan to dairy farm with my family and a few years and a few babies later ended up on the neighbouring farm my dad bought with lots of space of our own. When our youngest was two I was scrolling Pinterest one evening and saw an adorable roadside flower stand. Not thinking much more than “that’s cute, I should try that” I bought soil, seeds and trays. A few months later I was struggling to start my baby seeds but managed to plant enough in the ground that by the end of summer I could offer a six week subscription.
Fast forward a few years, a lot of learning, a little self competition, constant change and trying to find a rhythm, I felt confident in my abilities. Not one to stay stagnant I thought a lot about the products I offered but also the luxuries afford to me by living on a farm and having fresh meat, eggs and milk.
I will always grow flowers, don’t get me wrong. I am hooked. They bring so much joy to me and my customers. But in 2021 after dealing with wildfires in our area and then a devastating flood in the Fraser valley, where our milk gets shipped too, we had to dump a full tank of milk down the drain. No one could come for it and we were not allowed to sell it as we don’t have our own processing license. It wasn’t the first time but something changed, Ray and I agreed we needed to pursue selling our own food. Desiring to give our community local food stability and access to fresh, minimally processed foods we began a journey. While we’re still in the planning phases, we have added what we could start with minimal infrastructure. We bought more chickens to offer a stable supply of eggs and butchered some of the beef we raise. We aren’t going to stop there. While the progress feels slow we’re determined to give this farm more ways to survive, things aren’t as rosy in the farming world as when we were kids. The costs of everything have skyrocketed with no sign of slowing. So we think it’s important now more than every to be able to get our products directly to our customers.
There is so much love and passion and hard work put into what we do and that’s why we’re so grateful for each and every one of you!
- Yolanda