History

Our father started the first wild blueberry farm in the Antigonish area in 1956. As children, we spent many hours clearing land and harvesting blueberries on the same fields we work today. In 1992, we formally took over the farm, naming it BeeCee Farms.

Public awareness about the health benefits of blueberries, in particular low bush blueberries, has burgeoned in recent years. With widening recognition that ‘wild’ does not equal organic, more consumers began seeking non-sprayed berries. This consumer awareness changed alongside an agricultural shift toward fewer, larger producers and processors, coupled with a dramatic drop in prices paid to farmers. These trends created our opportunity to develop a new sustainable, organic, small and local business to last for generations to come.

In 2016, with prices so low we did not invest in inputs for the fields and this resulted in such a high number of weeds we were unable to mechanically harvest some fields. So, we invited people to come and hand-pick their own non-sprayed berries. We provided the rakes and buckets and were able to clean their berries using our refurbished field cleaner which blows out the grass and leaves. The response was overwhelmingly positive.

The following year, we became more deliberate about our U-Pick operation. We started a Facebook page, and advertised in the local newspaper and radio station. We held pop-up markets in strategic locations around town and on the highway — again, finding positive consumer response. We now offer the only organic, low bush wild blueberry U-Pick operation in the province.

In 2018 we began the organic certification process. With funding from the NS Department of Agriculture, we invested in equipment and developed a business plan. We were able to get 25 acres were certified in 2021. We expect another 17 acres to be certified in 2022.