This really started to take off for the brand and its customer base both locally and beyond. “I really felt a connection to that part of things. I loved producing my products, knowing where they came from, and having my family involved. It just became a time issue, as I was still working full- time as a nurse. But I started realizing I needed to build my business,” she said. “I just needed to scale up the transition,” said Ashley. So, she started to participate in a program with Farmers Markets of Nova Scotia. Together they created a plan and put together a roadmap of what she needed to accomplish over five years, and Ashley just kept pushing toward that goal, while also setting new ones.
would use to host visitors to my farm through Airbnb. Ashley was looking to take the Wild Orchid Farm brand experience to the next level and expand into the agritourism industry and allow her ven- dor-base customers the unique opportunity to have a full farm stay experience. However, shortly after making this huge step forward with her business, the outbreak of the pandemic would set her back all over again. “It was just a huge stumbling block. At the end of the build, we had hit the plateau where we could take a deep breath. But with the pandemic what did this mean for their businesses? Ashley responds, “We complied with provincial guidelines. When the supply chain became an issue for our soap, I had lots of milk, but the issue was the oils and other ingredients. However, I stayed conscious of my footprint and tried to source the bulk of ingredients locally, but it couldn’t be done for everything.” Unfortunately, Ashley did have to shut down her shop due to government restrictions that were brought on by the pandemic. But the silver lining to this was that she could now use her store space to warehouse supplies. That meant that she could search for supplies and have them ready for when restrictions were lifted. She was able to locate and buy a three-year supply of sodium hydroxide, which is the catalyst to make salt for soap. When the restrictions lifted, and the farmer’s markets opened, she attended them. She was able to re-open her store, on a limited scale and even re-opened the AirBnB to offer the farm stay experience again. The pandemic has people changing the way that they shop. More and more shoppers are making the shift to spots like farmer’s markets over grocery stores to support local farmers and get a better quality of product and the peace of mind that come with knowing who and where it came from and in most cases at lower price which helps families get the most out of their food budget which continues be stained with increasing food costs.
realize that we need to make products we need, and not rely on food being shipped from else- where.” Ashley says, “it’s been a pleasure to have the opportunity to teach a younger generation about food and sustainability on her farm and through the market as well. “Antigonish is a university in town, and I made a lot of connections that way. A lot of students will message me when they leave and continue to buy my product. Kids will come to the farm, and see the animals, and some have never seen a farm. Some don’t know where food and products come from,” she said. “It’s a great learning expe- rience and one that I am proud to be part of.” “The agri-tourism, the soap, the goats, and every- thing else has become part of a bigger piece. I’m getting to teach people and help them explore. I set my own boundaries here, and I hold myself accountable each day,” she said. Though making the leap from nursing to Wild Orchid Farm was a scary one, Ashley has no regrets about following her passion. “To go from the unknown and give up a paycheck for this was scary, but I had a safety net. I didn’t do it cold turkey. I built up the relationships over a period of time and did it methodically. I didn’t burn any bridges,” she said. “If you’re not happy doing what you love, then you can’t make people around you happy. You need to have passion for what you do, and that’s why I love the farm, and can’t imagine ever doing anything else now, there are so many opportuni- ties to make a difference.” “If you’re not happy doing what you love, then you can’t make people around you happy. You need to have passion for what you do, and that’s why I love the farm,”
People want “fresh stuff” that has not been trucked in. COVID changed the way people think and shop, and people want to secure their food. They want to know they won’t be dependent on going to the store for it. This summer – or the coming fall – Ashley and her family are at it again as they are building a brand new barn. Why, well currently they have a dual-purpose, milk/beef breed called Dexters, an Irish heritage breed, on the farm along with the goats. “We needed a barn for them just to go, and it’s going to be just for goats and agri-tourism. Cus- tomers can come in and access the animals. We have the barn, my retail space, and accommoda- tions for tours. We are growing things and I love the direction,” said Ashley. The farm is going to be a safe haven for folks. It represents a place people can come, stay, relax, and learn skills. “It will be whatever they need it to be. People can always do things with their hands – Even if they have a container garden in their apartment. We need to learn to be accountable to ourselves – We can take steps to be healthier, eat better food, learn to cook, and buy fresh food,” she said. “People have become accustomed to things being very easy, but since the pandemic, we realized things can become scarce. We need to “People have become accus - tomed to things being very easy, but since the pandemic, we realized things can become scarce. We need to realize that we need to make products we need, and not rely on food being shipped from elsewhere.”
“I loved producing my products, knowing where they came from, and having my family involved.”
In 2017, Ashley and her husband, literally rebuilt the family’s mid 1800’s farmhouse from the basement up, creating a dedicated soap shop and gift shop on the main floor. “I’d work at the space – I’d paint and stain floors, come home and go to bed, then go to work the next day. And I did it over and over knowing there was an end in sight,” said Ashley. But Ashley wasn’t done with the farmhouse yet and in 2019, they completely renovated the upstairs as a beautiful open-concept loft that she
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VOL 23 ISSUE 2 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 23 ISSUE 2
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