Home »
Farm to Folk – bringing the Kootenay’s bounty to your doorstep
By Michelle Forbes
People living in the Kootenays love real food. They love supporting farmer’s markets. They love supporting their local farms and artisans. The question that arises is how can you get the best of the Kootenays without the travelling time?
The answer has arrived. Rhianna and Jessy Embury have been working for the last few months to source out all the best suppliers in the Kootenays to bring them right to your doorstep with their new business Farm to Folk.
Rhianna describes the initiative as “Farm gate sales,” buying from local farmers and local artisans to bring the farmer’s market to the people. The business has grown from the idea of selling produce from their own garden to bringing together the best of what the Kootenays has to offer.
A fishing trip that reunited the Emburys with old friends from Saskatchewan, who own a similar business, sparked a conversation that became the catalyst for their new business endeavour.
Clean eating, healthy eating, and eating local have become important to many people, and even trendy, creating marketing catch phrases that have almost lost their meaning, but to the Emburys, the need for real food is much more personal.
When their 11-year old son, Lucas, was hospitalized for five months with an eating disorder, they knew they had to make major changes to take care of their family, and create an environment where food was wholesome.
“To get him to eat,” Rhianna said, “we had to get him better food. He wouldn’t eat the junk food and processed food at all.” So they searched the Cranbrook area for better foods – organic where possible, but always made more traditionally, with less of the processing that has become the norm. They loved the local businesses and farmer’s markets, but the hours of the markets were not always convenient.
Looking for a way to be at home with her son, Rhianna decided to quit her full time job outside the home, and find a way to access the real wholesome foods she needed to help him get better, while being able to be home with Lucas, and her other three boys.
The next few months were filled with family trips to meet all the producers, entrepreneurs, and farmers in person, to ensure they were offering their customers the best of the best, while supporting local businesses that make their products as traditionally as possible, for the best selection possible.
Some of the businesses that have agreed to be part of this initiative include The Kimberley City Bakery (scratch baked bread), The Raw House (cold pressed juices), Bolter Farms (beef and pork), Edible Farm (produce), Kootenay Meadows (cheese and milk), Kootenay Fungi (mushrooms), B & C’s Honey (honey), We Be Jammin’ (Jam), Lark Coffee (Coffee), Treasure Life Mills (Heirloom grains, flours, and mixes), and more.
Rhianna has been amazed at the interest. “We have 40 subscribers on our website, and we still haven’t put out the first order form.”
The first order form will be available August 12 at 8 a.m., and will be available until August 24, with the first order being delivered on September 1.
Deliveries will be made in Creston, Cranbrook, Fernie and Kimberley, where people can meet at a prearranged place to pick up their order, or, for an additional delivery charge, can have their order delivered right to their door.
For such a down to earth family who just want to eat healthy, help other people eat healthy, and support local businesses, this is a small family who looks like they will have a big impact.
Follow their journey on Facebook (Kootenay Farm-To-Folk), and check out their website to join them in accessing the amazing products the Kootenays offer.
Lead image: The Embury family. Photos submitted
e-KNOW
