A large, indoor lettuce-growing operation in the South Okanagan has experienced a sudden boom in business. "Our sales have doubled and tripled in the past two weeks," said Rachelle Peters, general manager at Avery Family Farms. Avery Family Farms began operating in September 2023 after two years of construction. The concept for the business was born during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The founders, Gary and Vicki Peters, went to grocery stores and saw empty shelves," Peters said. The farm grows four types of lettuce. "Frill, Romaine, Red and Sweet Leaf," Peters said. However, getting that lettuce into B.C. stores wasn't that easy. "One of the challenges is that U.S. imports have been on shelves for decades, so there are those existing relationships," Peters said.
A major shift in consumer habits, however, has led to an increased demand for the Okanagan-made product. "We are getting inquiries from grocery stores and restaurants," said Peters. The demand stems from looming U.S. tariffs prompting Canadians to throw their support behind their country. "We weren't expecting that B.C. and Canada were going to unite like this, so it's been really great," said Erin Wright, farming operations manager at Avery Farms.
Avery Farms currently harvests about 1,500 heads of lettuce a day, which represents only about 10 per cent of its existing growing capacity. "This increase in people wanting to buy local, we will be at about 45 per cent of our total capacity," Wright said. The indoor farm has increased its seeding and may have to hire more staff to meet the growing demand. "We are moving a little faster than we expected but we are definitely ready for this," Wright said.
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