Loni and Kyle would like to create a farm together, centered around home-grown food, delicious fruit cider, and the love of gentle music-making. Loni is an aspiring cidermaker, and farmer- hoping to start a land-based cidery in the Comox Valley. She has 6 years of professional experience wine and cider making with soft fruit, apples and pears. She also has 10 years of experience working on organic farms. For the past 5 years, Loni has been developing a homestead on Cortes Island where she established 20 fruit trees, as well as vines, and hundreds of berry plants, native fruit, perennial vegetables, herbs and flowers. She currently has cider on sample from her own grown orchard. She has a specific affinity for soft fruit like native berries, raspberries, and black currents. Loni is currently developing a business plan for a land-based cidery, as she completes a Brewery Operations Program at North Island College for the rest of 2023. Kyle is a full time working engineer, with a passion for growing veggies and herbs, using no dig permaculture principles. He would love to grow enough food for himself and Loni. He also dreams of maintaining a hay field one day. Xusum [Hoh-shum] is an athletic 5 year old garden-trained canine. He protects crop from ravens, rats, and racoons, with non-violent communication. He requires a fenced in area to call his own. The trio dreams of expanding their 'Family Band' in the near future to create a loving space with farm-based food, drink, and family-made tunes.
Ideally their is already a fruit orchard of pear, apple, black currant, and/or raspberry. If not, land with quality, slightly acidic soil is optimal. Ideally the land is close to the farm accommodations.