haskap can set you back $10,000. Add in the prices of a mechanical harvester ñ as much as $130,000 for a new self-propelled model ñ along with a cleaning line and freezer space, and the start-up costs can be prohibitive.


That doesn’t mean people aren’t interested. Braaten is constantly fielding calls, usually from people who have heard about the huge price that haskaps fetch. Braaten sells frozen berries at $13.30 a pound and can’t keep them in stock. He knows one grower who sold her entire first-year production of 700 pounds for $16 per pound.


But anyone who dreams of getting rich quick is making a mistake, he says.


Since supplying LaHave with the plants for its first one-acre test plot, Braaten has struck a deal with the Nova Scotia company to distribute his plants in eastern Canada. The industry needs more growers, he says, but they have to have the right mindset.


“Anyone who gets into this industry is going to be different,” he says.


“If you call me, I’ll sell you as many plants as you want,” he says. “But if you’re new to the industry, I’d tell you to tread lightly, start small and learn what you’re doing.” That’s also why he is full of praise for LaHave Forests, especially for getting berries into the hands of entrepreneurs interested in creating value-added products, and also


The oblong-shaped haskap, also known as the blue honeysuckle, was the subject of a feature article in the winter issue of BCBerry Grower on a study now being undertaken by Eric Gerbrandt to determine if it can be adapted to growing conditions in the Fraser Valley.


helping small growers get started (including a plan to start a co-op in which members could share harvesters and freezer space, and jointly market).


“It’s a model for our industry,” says Braaten. “When it comes to promoting haskaps, no one can compare to them.”


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British Columbia Berry Grower • Spring 2013 19 Call us today


“I was raised on a farm and farmed myself for many years. This isn’t like the agriculture most of us are used to ñ where you grow an annual crop and get a return at the end of year. With this, you’re going to be putting out a fair amount of cash prior to getting any return.”


And you’ll be learning as you go, he adds.


“Everyone in haskaps is an innovator. Nobody is up to full production, nobody knows how much a plant is capable of producing, nobody knows what the price is going to be, and nobody knows where the markets will be. Sure, everything looks good, but nobody knows anything for sure.”


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