Reading Time: 6 minutes More Canadian farmers are selling more of what they produce directly to consumers than ever before. Customers are keen to shop for locally made products and many are looking for agritourism experiences. While direct farm marketing has grown in popularity in recent times, it isn’t new to everybody. Some farmers have years of experience in […] Read more
Taking a direct mindset to farm marketing
Three winners at Outstanding Young Farmers share the insights that turned their ideas into successful businesses
Value adding, with a flourish
What does it take to thrive with a farm that value adds? The answer surprised Dana Thatcher, and it will likely surprise you too
Reading Time: 6 minutes When Dana Thatcher started getting compliments from the other teachers at school about the food she was bringing for lunch, little did she know it would lead to a thriving farm, food and agri-tourism business. “People were interested in what I was eating, and the fact that we had grown it,” Thatcher recalls. “That’s what […] Read more
The open road of culinary tourism
Rebecca Mackenzie sits exactly at the midpoint between farmers and consumers. Can she help bring everyone together?
Reading Time: 6 minutes [UPDATED: Mar. 23, 2021] The past year has shone a sometimes not very flattering light on Canada’s ailing food system, but it has also revealed new challenges and exciting opportunities to bring about long overdue changes for the farming and foodservice industry. For Rebecca Mackenzie, president and CEO of the Culinary Tourism Alliance, it’s time […] Read more
La Route des Saveurs (The Flavour Trail)
In both languages, it spells an unbelievable farm success
Reading Time: 8 minutes Some 350 million years ago, a massive meteorite plummeted out of the heavens, slammed into Earth and gouged out a giant bowl-shaped crater that today is the remarkably beautiful, fertile region of Charlevoix, Que. Wedged between the picturesque north shore of the mighty St. Lawrence and the stunning Laurentian Mountains, this UNESCO-designated biosphere is just […] Read more
Stretch your horizons
Here’s why taking an agri-tourist vacation might be your business’ best investment all year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Many farmers — because they prefer being busy, productive, active and physical — steer clear of the beachy, all-relaxation style of vacation, knowing it will leave them feeling more frustrated than rejuvenated. But don’t let yourself off the hook so fast. Not going on a beach vacation is one thing. Not going on a vacation […] Read more
Step two to value adding: Preparation
What you should know before you open your farm gate to the public
Reading Time: 6 minutes Direct marketing and value adding can be the logical next step on the path to farm expansion. Whether it’s growing strawberries to sell through your own retail outlet, or hosting dinners in the old bank barn, or any of the 1,000 other possibilities, such opportunities can help the farm capitalize on its investments and expand […] Read more
The olive groves and vineyards of Liguria
Italy’s tiny farms are clinging to life as tenaciously as they cling to their hillsides. Now it appears they may have found their road to success
Reading Time: 7 minutes The road to the farm called I Cianelli runs out of the seaside resort of Andora, Italy, through the basil fields behind it. Narrow at first, the road curves up the stony hillside to a ledge overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, for it is here, from an impressive limestone house surrounded by native brush and olive […] Read more
That’s the spirit
Farm smarts, an incredible dose of dedication, and intense passion for their products are driving these two ventures into consumerism
Reading Time: 9 minutes Maybe these two startup agribusinesses are riding the coattails of B.C.’s wine industry. Or, maybe they’re on to something unique and innovative. Either way, they’re succeeding in farm-based ventures based on the passions of their customers, and they are thriving on the essential passion of their owners. With the summer tourist season barely six weeks […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
