Hands and Hearts Acres a success in Cawston
Abetter place to raise their young family and a desire for a career change prompted Rob and Holly Holland to move from Vancouver to Cawston last year.
The couple own and operate Hands & Hearts Acres at 302 VLA Rd.
“We were concerned about the crunch of living in the city with two little girls,” Rob said, referring to Krin, 3, and Sadie, 1.
An executive chef in a Vancouver restaurant, Rob also wanted to be involved in producing food as well as preparing it.
A native of Ontario, Rob came to B.C. in 2007 when he was recruited as a chef by Cactus Club restaurants.
“I grew up on a hobby farm in Mission,” Holly said.
The couple met when Holly was a server at a restaurant where Rob was the chef.
“I became acquainted with the Similkameen when I came to buy wine for restaurants,” Rob said.
In January 2017, the Hollands purchased their 7.5 acres and moved on May 1.
In April, a neighbour plowed and rototilled the land in preparation for their arrival.
Rob and Holly then removed rocks and sifted soil by hand before planting.
By June, they were selling produce at Summerland’s Sunday Market.
“It was a crazy time,” Holly said.
To learn horticultural and related skills, Rob read widely, watched YouTube presentations and talked to neighbours.
He also joined the Young Agrarians and met his mentor, Seann Dory of Salt & Harrow Farm on Vancouver Island.
“We chat on the phone weekly. Among other things, he’s helped me prepare a business plan. He’s been super helpful,” Rob said.
Hands & Hearts is in the first year of a three-year plan.
The plan starts with growing an impressive number of crops from baby greens and root crops to cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower and heritage tomatoes.
“We grow so many types to stock our CSA boxes,” Holly said. In the Community Supported Agriculture program, customers commit to paying for a weekly box of produce which provides the grower with a consistent cash flow and the customer with a selection of fresh food.
“I’m selling at the Penticton Farmers’ Market as well as the Summerland Sunday market,” Rob said.
He was pleased to be welcomed back by loyal Summerland customers while appreciating the opportunity to build clientele and increase cash flow at Penticton’s much larger market.
Holly operates an on-farm Sunday market.
In the second year of the plan, the Hollands want to construct a heated green house, expand their CSA box program and increase their production to include asparagus, strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb.
“Our eventual goal is to have box delivery from Osoyoos to Kelowna,” Holly said.
“In year three, we plan to have increased our initial half-acre production of ground crops to three acres,” Rob said.
“We grow using organic techniques and are working toward being officially certified organic,” Holly said.
Time tops the list of challenges for Rob, who appreciates his sister, Lisa Holland, coming from her home in Ontario to lend a hand.
“I spent too much time this spring chasing down plastic mulch blown away by the wind,” Rob said.
Both he and Lisa also spend a lot of time fending off mosquitoes.
Somehow Rob finds the time between being farmer and father to donate his services as chef for community events.
Eventually, he and Holly want to consistently grow large enough quantities of high-quality produce to be able to supply Vancouver restaurants.
“Tap & Barrel, where I last worked, has three restaurants each seating 300 people and three sister restaurants with 200 seats each. That’s a lot of veggies,” Rob said.
Susan McIver is a Penticton writer with a keen interest in agriculture. She can be reached by faxing the Herald at (250) 492-2403.