80 varieties of hot peppers to Peruvian purple potatoes and cape goose berries. He alsomanages the


wholesale packing business. His involvement in sales


helps himdecidewhat to plant. “Since Troy took over the


wholesale part two years ago, it has gone crazy.His involvements in sales helps,” Sara said. Today, theHarkers


distribute organic fruit and vegetables from25 organic growerswith a total of 550 acres of production. Sara and Troy attribute


this growth to an increase in demand for organics and B.C. Tree Fruits Co-operative no longer serving organic growers. They anticipate continued


growth and are expanding and upgrading their facilities accordingly. By this autumn, theywant


to have the packing and CA storage areas renovated and enlarged. In addition, a newpacking


linewith electronic colour and size grading capabilities should be in operation by the next apple harvest. “We’ve been doing 25 bins


a day andwe need to run 60 to 70 bins a day,” Troy said. Large grocery chains such


as Safeway,Whole Foods andOverwaitea and the BC Agriculture in the Classroom programare themain markets. During the past three


years, theHarkers have supplied threemillion pieces of fruit to this program, which is designed to inform elementary and secondary students aboutwhere their food comes fromand the essential role agriculture plays in our society. Troy and Sara have built


on her background in the hospitality industry and business administration to launch two branches of the family business. Rustic Roots, an organic


20 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Summer 2013


fruitwinery, opened inOctober 2008, providing theHarkers and other local organic growerswith an outlet for their cull fruit. Today, Roots produces an array of


sparkling, dinner and dessertwines and has wonmore than 45 awards. In 2011, the CanadianWine Awards


named Rustic Roots the Best FruitWine in Canada. Sara, thewinemaker, learned the craft


through thewinery assistant programat Okanagan College andworkingwith a consultant. She also uses her ownminimalist and


natural techniques to produce the award- winningwines. “All of ourwines are vegan.We do not use


any animal products such as caseins or gelatins,” she said. In five years, she hopes to be sellingwine


across Canada and internationally. At present, she is testmarketing a small batch of cider she is developing froma blend


of a cider apple and a dessert apple. In 2008, Troy and Sara initiated a


restaurant delivery service that nowserves 25 restaurants in theOkanagan and Similkameen Valleys. They foresee a steady growth in demand


for their service, because the thrivingwine industry goes hand-in-handwith quality restaurants. In going about their dailywork, Troy and


Sara keep inmind the traditional family goals of earning a fair living fromtheir farm for theworkers and families and helping to make their community viablewhile using lowenvironmental impact farming practices. TheOYF award is one of a long list of


awards theHarker family has received, including being named the Farming Family of the Year in 2011 by the B.C. Institute of Agrologists. Harker’sOrganics has also been named


one of B.C.’s Top Five Agritourism Destinations and EatMagazine’s Best Okanagan Farm.


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