I understand that local folklore has it that the farm is over 200 years old and that a doctor, a miller, and even a bootlegger lived there in days gone by. The readers would love to hear the history of the farm. AB: The actual farmhouse is over 200 years old and has a rich history of owners, for sure. It’s very representative of Nova Scotia’s history. My parents purchased it in the 1960s. I grew up here. So, two generations have been gradually breathing new life into the property for over 50 years by modernizing the home and now us, developing the business to support a family. CB: I’m very proud that my grandparents renovated the home and worked the land from basically nothing. We moved to the farm when my grandparents moved to Comox, BC in 2004 to escape the Nova Scotian winters. They were both in their 80s and still working hard in the gardens every single day from sunup to sundown – they needed the break! I then saw my parents do the same. They created a beautiful home, bit by bit, working the land, planting crops and beginning this self-sustainable life, from sunup to sundown, again. The brewery was built, and I see the future of the farm now, the community is together, and the possibilities of future ventures. “The actual
I’d like to discuss that community that Meander River Farm & Brewery is bringing together shortly here, Campbell, but first, Alan, leaving aside the role of providers you and your wife shared, what inspired you to open the brewery in 2013? AB: Well, we had an interest in the brewing industry for many years – and have brewed beer and wine as a hobby since university days. That dream was rekindled when we started growing hops on the farm and subsequently spending more time with craft brewers – Garrison Brewery in particular – and marketing our crop to them. The industry was gaining momentum and the timing seemed right for it to happen. So, we went for it.
farmhouse is over 200 years old and has a rich history of owners.”
AB: I’d love to. West Hants is less than an hour drive from Halifax and Stanfield International Airport. The area is connectedbyanetworkof back roadswith lotsof interesting things to see and do, including restaurants, wineries, bakeries, a Provincial campground, nature hikes, high tides, u-picks, and beautiful scenery. The river that dissects the farm leads to one of the highest waterfalls in the county. CB: I have to say that it’s the best kept secret in Nova Scotia because of all this. As we say in all our branding, ‘It’s an adventure, or a wrong turn, that leads you here.’ You don’t expect it so close to the city, and when you find yourself here, you’re amazed. In any direction you’re experiencing something new: the beautiful Bay of Fundy, the beginning of Nova Scotia wine country, amazing farm-to- table restaurants, and Nova Scotia craft breweries in a rural farm setting with so much more to offer than just a tasting room. “It’s an adventure, or a wrong turn, that leads you here.”
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2019
61 OCTOBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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