Kris left behind 30 years in the newspaper industry; Paul, 24 years in the retail food business. Combining our backgrounds and talents, we set to work to create a beautiful farm, bustling outdoor market, and modestly-sized RV park that we could share with others.
We were both raised on Vancouver Island. As locals, we both share an affinity for the relaxed lifestyle, verdant spaces, and quiet privacy that rural Island living provides, along with all of the incomparable benefits that come with it.
We both were avid “green thumb” gardeners to begin with, so tilling a farm, producing home-grown food, and sharing it with family, friends and neighbours was a natural evolution and a labour of love for us.
At the time of purchase, the property was wild and overgrown. Substantial sweat equity and determination have gone into transforming the land into the picturesque farm it is today: a 5-acre fenced garden area including a greenhouse, a 600-bush blueberry patch, heritage apple and other fruit trees, and large outdoor garden beds. The Farm also supports a bounty of soft-berry bushes such as tayberries, marionberries, loganberries, raspberries, and thornless blackberries. Although PineRidge Farm is not “certified organic”, we grow all of our food using rigorous organic methods. We consider ourselves to be “HIP Free”: Herbicide, Insecticide, and Pesticide Free.
Over time, our outbuildings, equipment, and animals have grown and changed. While we may have retired in 2023 from our busy summer market venture, we somehow continue to keep busy (!) with our blueberry business, farm animals, RV Park, and a few newer creative (and fun!) pursuits that “retired” life now permits. The Farm also hosts guided foraging tours several times each year, provided by the local experts at Forest For Dinner.
We haven’t looked back. We love our life here and gain tremendous satisfaction from sharing our space and the fruits (literally) of our labour with our community and guests.
