We hand-watered 8600+ plants for 2 1/2 months to save the greenhouse; now as tomatoes struggle to recover we're trying to save the farm.
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Project Description
Our label features a picture taken right on our farm, designed in the very beginning of the Greenhouse Project in 2017.
We started Golden Eden Produce when Tim's brother, who had farmed with him, retired. The family is the original pioneer settlers of this land, and the farm is an awarded Century Farm into its third generation. We sank our life savings, inheritance, and mortgaged this farm to fund this project that we believe is of tremendous benefit to everyone who loves and enjoys our Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Sugar Bell Peppers (and now, our Daredevil Hot Peppers). Our health-challenged customers tell us that being able to eat fresh produce such as ours has brought joy to their lives.
Our selection of produce includes Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Peppers. Also pictured are our newest item, Daredevil Hot Peppers.
The mission of our company is to provide Pesticide Free, non-GMO, naturally ripened produce that is affordably priced for the average family. Our products are extremely popular and the stores we supply find their produce sections stalked by customers who ask for our produce during the off-season (Late Dec, Jan, and Feb). Our first delivery this year was March 19.
Parents and Grandparents tell us that their children insist on our cucumbers even over ice cream. Literally.
We find that most families want what they think are the attributes of organic, but can't afford the organic price. We meet this need by supplying the very attributes they're looking for (no pesticides, no chemicals, only naturally mined fertilizer and calcium) at a more competitive price.
Our market continues growing as more stores begin carrying our produce. We currently supply 4 Co-ops, all the Sobeys/Safeways, and several specialty grocers throughout most of Saskatchewan: from Prince Albert (temporarily suspended for the 2021 season due to the fires) to Regina, including Humboldt and Saskatoon. We also supply the Jansen Mine in LeRoy and another grocery chain is deciding if they will carry our products this year.
Our produce displays are always prominently arranged, often being one of the very first things a person will see as they walk into the store.
When deciding how we were going to farm a greenhouse of fresh produce, we considered the fact that in our area the most common cause of death seems to be cancer. Every family has a cancer victim living or dead. What could be the common thread? Everyone eats. It is our belief that the artificial way of "ripening" produce, combined with the chemicals used for pest/weed control, could very likely be at the bottom of the health issue problem. We decided to take a radical approach and simply use bios (predatory bugs and organisms that eat pests) to control the problems that arise in a growing environment. Our business is based on having a Pesticide Free facility. It's all hydroponic, so (lacking dirt) it can never be certified organic (which requires dirt), but even in this situation we can still provide the quality that people are looking for without associated health risks. Because of this decision, people with digestive issues, with cancer treatments, with arthritis, with any kind of inflammatory condition can and do eat and enjoy our produce without the discomfort or illness that they otherwise endure because of the conventional growing and harvest methods most produce comes from.
We are seeking funding because even though this spring started really well--exceeding our projected expectations for sales dramatically-- we had an irrigation failure due to a sudden hard water problem that plugged all the drip irrigation lines and left us Hand-Watering the Entire Greenhouse (approx 8600 plants). This situation lasted from about April 1 until June 15, 2021, while we were waiting for the well and reverse osmosis system to be constructed and installed. The RO system was supposed to be constructed and ready for installation within 4-6 weeks but took 8. We were barely able to keep the tomatoes alive and lost most of our cucumber crop. We now have new cucumbers planted and doing well, but the tomatoes are slower in their recovery, at only about 30% (and rising) of what they were before the "greenhouse drought". This cash flow deficit has caused us to fall behind on bills, though our payroll and mortgages are still current. So our business as well as our home and almost 120 year old farm is in jeopardy of being lost. Friends and Family have helped as much as they can but we really need this.
Here is the Boiler Building and the smoke coming from the coal boiler. We're looking to replace it with an efficient, biofuel boiler which will be more "green".
If we were to be able to bring our bills current and had funds left over, we need to replace our coal boiler with a biofuel boiler which is more efficient in heat output as well as environmentally friendly. A grant of up to 50% of the costs exists for the boiler change/installation. The company that carries the biofuel boiler we've decided on can get it installed in 6 weeks, so there is still time this year. The current boiler we have, although listed as 3.5 million BTUs, is actually putting out only 1,355,904 BTUs.
Our Team who works with us is absolutely amazing. Most of them have been with us for multiple seasons, and know what they are doing. They've been with us through the learning curves, through construction, and now through this spring's "greenhouse drought". It was they who, during the week, operated in pairs to get the plants all watered twice a day. It is they who continue to care for the plants, bring in the harvest, package it for the stores and load the trailer for shipping. It is our daring duo of supervisors who have organized their areas even better this year than last, and have this place running with precision similar to a German watch.
Though not all are pictured, every member of our Team is amazing in their own way, striving to make Golden Eden Produce the "golden standard" of fresh produce.
To You, the one who decides that this is a project that is worth your hard-earned money to support, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks. Our gratitude will know no bounds. Our entire family will thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. We will still have our home, our Century farm of Three Generations, and our passion-project to fill western Canada with Pesticide Free Produce, one store at a time. Please know that we will keep you in our prayers and that any way we can repay you, as soon as it's possible to do so, we will. We're offering a Golden Eden Cookbook as a token of our gratitude, as soon as we have it published.
Updates
The Campaign FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions:
What do you need the money for?
Currently we need the money for simple things like the power bill, our supplies for next year, to bring in fuel for heat, and to pay down debt accumulated during our water struggles. If we were to end up with more than what is owed for that, we'd be able to change the boiler to a green burning one, and install a rail system in the greenhouse.
What hours are you open?
We're open from 7 am until 5 pm until the sunshine shifts so that we have to change our hours.
Are you open to the public?
Yes, though our focus is on the wholesale market.
Where are you located?
We're located just west of Burr, Saskatchewan, Canada, which is 12 miles south of Humboldt along Hwy 20.
What do you do to "give back"?
We donate all our produce that would not have the shelf life expected in a grocery store to such organizations as the Soup Kitchen and the Food Bank in Humboldt, and Teen Challenge in Saskatoon.
What is your hiring policy?
We hire anyone who will fit the job. We evaluate the person's abilities during the interview(s) and then, if they seem right for the job, give them a trial run for a week. We look for people who will take their job seriously, work assiduously, and take direction without argument or complaint. The amount of training that will be necessary also is factored in, for obvious reasons. Consequently, we have on staff recent immigrants, women, single mothers, first home buyers, people of colour, Black people, students, teachers, and right up to people who are pre-retirement. 80% of our employees are women.
Monetary Contribution
Just Because I Care
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Golden Eden Produce Cookbook
We thought and thought about what a person might enjoy as a Thank You Gift for your contribution. After much consideration, we decided that if we were you, we'd really want a cookbook with recipes using our produce.
So--We are having our own cookbook printed, with our own recipes from here at Golden Eden Produce. Recipes from the Heartland, with good home cooking at its finest.
You'll find suggestions as to how to use Sweet Peppers, recipes maybe you never thought of for Cucumbers, new ideas for Tomatoes, as well as awesome recipes coming from the ladies who work here!
This is Golden Eden Produce's first cookbook. More details to follow. :)
We thought and thought about what a person might enjoy as a Thank You Gift for your contribution. After much consideration, we decided that if we were you, we'd really want a cookbook with recipes using our produce.
So--We are having our own cookbook printed, with our own recipes from here at Golden Eden Produce. Recipes from the Heartland, with good home cooking at its finest.
You'll find suggestions as to how to use Sweet Peppers, recipes maybe you never thought of for Cucumbers, new ideas for Tomatoes, as well as awesome recipes coming from the ladies who work here!
This is Golden Eden Produce's first cookbook. More details to follow. :)
