Rebecca Compton’s blueberry-based beverage from outside the box, into the can
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Jeff Tribe
When Rebecca Compton needs a break from farming, she finds it through, well, more farming.
But it’s through a different way of looking at her commodities clarifies the Delhi-area asparagus, blueberry, ginseng hazelnut and grains producer, taking what would otherwise be lost and inventing a new use or product.
“Farming can get heavy, very heavy and stressful and knock you down,” said Compton. “This is fun for me, keeps the creative side of my brain happy.”
Compton has a history of embracing new opportunities, building a hazelnut plantation into popular value-added snacks through an investment in cleaning and processing equipment. She may show you freeze-dried asparagus powder, perfect for blending into a smoothie, alternatively a ‘latte dust’ rescued from processing hazelnuts, repurposed as a unique flavour additive.
Or most recently, a sparkling blueberry honey lemonade drink based on Dalton White Farms off-grade berries. Compton worked with Tom Heeman of Heeman’s greenhouse and garden centre to develop both recipe and branding. Admittedly, designing labels is outside of her agricultural norm.
“But it’s been fun.”
The drink can be spiked, but she was looking for more of a ‘mocktail vibe’, dovetailing unexpectedly well with a trend toward premium, small-batch, crafted non-alcoholic beverages.
“We call it ‘kid wine’,” Compton explained. “It hits more markets than I originally anticipated.”
The drink underwent a lengthy development phase before going into limited production.
“It took me two years to pull the trigger,” said Compton, finally rationalizing a worst-case scenario in which she lost a couple of thousand dollars - nothing to sneeze at, but also an investment in possibility - and no one else appreciated the flavour profile as she did.
“And I end up drinking it myself for the next 20 years,” she laughed.
A test skid of the blueberry-based drink sold out by Thanksgiving. A second round, a bottled option is also proving popular, and is going well without major marketing efforts, without a distribution network.
“Right now, you have to get it here.”
Outside the box agricultural thinking is a product of her constantly-active mind, which can be both a blessing and a curse Compton admits. She also attributes a focus on processing along with wholesaling in part to the commodities she produces. It is an approach distinct from a majority of farmers she met during an intensive week-long FCC Catalyst Academy, held January 12-16th at the Ivey Business School at London’s Western University.
Connected to the opportunity through Susan Judd of FCC, Compton was one of 23 producers from across Canada attending, six of whom were women. All the latter were older than their male counterparts she observed, late 30s early 40s - corresponding with their children growing up - compared to men in their late 20s - whose younger children tended to be at home with their partners.
“Different stages of life when you’re able to do something like this.”
Their days began at 7 a.m., finishing up 14 hours later, an intense array of study including farm finance, strategy, HR, communication and negotiation, along with tours of a massive dairy operation and Heeman’s. Most of the other producers were cash croppers, but Compton was struck with commonality of their experiences. Despite being in completely different sectors of agriculture, farm families face related issues including succession planning and HR concerns.
“I could be talking to a grain farmer from Manitoba and she gets it,” said Compton. “We still share similar challenges.”
Having said that, grain farmers essentially produce grain, a product without much of a differentiator. As one of two higher-labour, higher-value producers - a fellow attendee also grew asparagus, offering a pickled option - their focus on value-add was unique.
“I think, for a lot of the other producers, it was outside of their way of operating.”
Compton’s process is to begin small, testing response through her own on-farm market, the One of a Kind show in Toronto, and markets in Collingwood, Niagara, Toronto and London. They offer immediacy from clients via face-to-face feedback, and secondly, texts, emails and calls which come in for additional orders.
“When that happens, I know there is something to it.”
Moving onward from that test point involves seeking efficiencies and fine-tuning process from harvest forward, keeping the price point as low as possible while scaling up.
For Compton, that, in conjunction with making something out of something that would otherwise be wasted is both an intellectual challenge and a growing reality in a world of slim agricultural margins.
“You want to try and get a little bit out of everything, you don’t want to be wasting anything,” Compton concluded. “You have to look outside the box - you have to.”.
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