Horticulture is thriving on the west coast
On July 7, CHC held its annual Summer Tour in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. The day-long tour brought together industry leaser, growers and Members of Parliament to explore and learn about various aspects of Canada’s horticulture industry.
The tour’s first stop was Sunnyside Greenhouse where Sunnyside owners, Jos and Bram Moerman and Ray VanMarrewyk of Westcoast Produce showed their process for growing and packaging green peppers for sale via Windset Farms. Next the tour visited Heppell’s Potato Corporation which is about to become the home of Hardbite Potato Chips. Heppell’s CEO Pete Schouten introduced participants to the plant which is being built on the Heppell’s farm and will produce a variety of chips including potato, beet and carrot. Consumer education
Lunch was held at Krause Berry Farm and was hosted by Alf and Sandee Krause who gave us a history lesson about the farm and their rise from selling fruit out of the back of a van in the ’70’s to a beacon of agritourism today. Alf Krause spoke about how he informs consumers about necessary “tools” to produce food including pesticides and Integrated Pest Management practices.