• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Country Life In BC Logo

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915

  • Headlines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Headlines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Search

Primary Sidebar

Originally published:

JULY 2023
Vol. 109 Issue 7

Subscribe Now!

Sign up for free weekly FARM NEWS UPDATES

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Country Life in BC. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Your information will not be
shared or sold ever

Stories In This Edition

Pick of the crop

Water blitz in FV

Berries feel the heat

Grape growers seek federal assistance

Editorial: Water security

Back 40: We’re all in this together

Viewpoint: Disasters bring closures and opportunities

Kamloops decommissions farm irrigation

Sidebar: Compensation outlined

Greenhouses pitch marketing commission

Ready to roll

Ag Briefs: Delta cannabis venture smoked by losses

Ag Briefs: BC Milk, Dairy grow closer

Ag Briefs: Foreign worker consultation planned

Ag Briefs: BC Tree breaks ground

Cowichan Bay project set to swamp famrland

Peace ranchers battle wildfire fallout

World’s best vermouth from Vancouver Island

Robust event brings ranchers together

Cattlemen review past successes, future challenges

Crystal Lake Ranch honoured for sustainability

Paradigm shift required for intensive grazing

Going nuts

Farm Story: The crop looks great but …

Field day focuses on getting vines on track

Couple revive winery with ambitious plans

Revelstoke farm shines light on food insecurity

Sidebar: Revelstoke revisits its agricultural potential

Chamber tour puts spotlight on flood recovery

Island farmers hit hard by tent caterpillars

Sidebar: Aerial spraying for spongy moth concludes for 2023

Industry has mixed reactions to new CFIA rules

Woodshed: Ashley and Gladdie become acquainted

BC welcomes international farm writers

BC’s summer bounty inspires meal ideas

More Headlines

Follow us on Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

3 weeks ago

... See MoreSee Less

View Comments
  • Likes: 5
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

1 month ago

BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

#BCAg
... See MoreSee Less

BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

#BCAg
View Comments
  • Likes: 51
  • Shares: 12
  • Comments: 12

Comment on Facebook

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations 👍🎉

Congratulations

Congratulations <3

Congratulations Duncan and Jane Trott Barnett Well deserved recognition

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Duncan, Jane, and all the rest of the Barnett family!

Congratulations Duncan and Jane!!

Congratulations Jane and Ducan! Sandra Andresen Hawkins

Congratulations Jane & Duncan 🥳

Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

View more comments

1 month ago

Grapegrower Colleen Ingram, who was recognized earlier this year as the 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association. “Given the devastation we have had over the last three years, I feel like this award should be given to the entire industry,” she says. Her story appears in the June edition of Country Life in BC, and we've also posted to our website.

#BCAg
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

www.countrylifeinbc.com

KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great that when she was named 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association, she wanted to sh...
View Comments
  • Likes: 7
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

2 months ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

#bcag
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Arts leads BCFGA forward

www.countrylifeinbc.com

A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
View Comments
  • Likes: 8
  • Shares: 2
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

2 months ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

#bcag
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Milk board undertakes review

www.countrylifeinbc.com

A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
View Comments
  • Likes: 4
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Subscribe | Advertise

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915
  • Email
  • Facebook

World’s best vermouth from Vancouver Island

Local products and experts contribute to meadery’s success

Quinn and Michela Palmer have focused on sourcing local and been rewarded with a strong local following as well as recognition as having some of the world's best vermouth. SUBMITTED

July 1, 2023 byKate Ayers

ESQUIMALT – A taste for local has won a Vancouver Island business global attention at the 2023 World Vermouth Awards in London, England.

Michela and Quinn Palmer of Esquimalt Vermouth and Apéritifs (formally Rootside Provisions Ltd.) create wines that have unique regional taste profiles thanks to growers and foragers across the province.

“We’re working with producers who are experts in their field and whose knowledge and experience really come through in the exceptional ingredients they provide. We couldn’t make what we do without incredible inputs from other local producers,” Michela Palmer says.

The couple sources honey for its wines, which start off as mead, from Paradis Apiary in Fort St. John. It’s the latest in a line of suppliers including apiaries on the Saanich Peninsula and in the Fraser Valley.

Palmer turned to the Peace because bees there produce 10 times what Island bees can make per hive, she says.

“Bees are solar-powered, meaning when the sun is up, the bees are busy. As we approach the summer solstice, the days extend to upwards of 20 hours of busy time. So, they get a lot done,” says Paradis Apiary owner Claude Paradis, who is excited to be supplying the Palmers with honey this season and their commitment to local sourcing.

The honey’s quality and taste showcases the region’s bounty.

“We just got some samples not too long ago and it’s just beautiful honey that we’re getting from up there,” Palmer says. “Depending on what the bees pollinate, it’ll taste slightly different.”

The honey adds to that sense of place – what grape wineries call terroir – that’s at the heart of what the Palmers are striving to deliver.

The couple also work with Forest for Dinner in Port Alberni.

“Ben and Celia are the ones who forage some of our local seasonal ingredients like elderflower, Sitka spruce tips, and salal berries,” Palmer says.

These ingredients allow the Palmers to venture outside of the more traditional apéritif flavours, such as sweet Italian classics that have notes of clove, cinnamon and caramel and introduce the Island’s more unique tastes.

“We’re just starting the research on it right now, but we want to do a couple different iterations of a 100% native botanicals apéritif just to kind of highlight what’s here,” Palmer says. “Salal is something that a lot of people haven’t tried, and it’s just so abundant here and really, really delicious. … You know, there’s so much good stuff here and so to be able to share it is really exciting.”

Side hustle

What started as a side hustle resulted in high-quality award-winning beverages. During the 2023 World Vermouth Awards, the Palmers won World’s Best Dry Vermouth for their Rosso (red) product and their Bianco (white) vermouth was named second-best in the semi-sweet category.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people who don’t even know what vermouth is so, hopefully, they’ll go and taste it and see it’s so easy to drink on its own,” Palmer says. “I think if the one thing we can do through this award is to encourage more people to just try it and sip on it on its own is the best thing we can ask for.”

In May 2016, the Palmers established Rootside Bitters and Mixers in Vancouver, selling non-alcoholic tonic syrups and mix concentrates to bars and restaurants. They moved to the Island in 2018 and began exploring the alcoholic beverage space, launching their Rosso sweet vermouth in July 2019 and a dry version in February 2020.

The couple weathered the pandemic storm, thanks in part to the buy-local movement among consumers.

“The community on Vancouver Island is just so incredibly supportive. It feels a little bit more, kind of like you’re not such a tiny, tiny fish in a big pond as you are on the Mainland,” Palmer says.

But like many other businesses, they have experienced supply chain issues and increased production costs.

Rising costs

“Looking back, every single year since 2019, there’s just been zero consistency year to year. It’s just kind of changed every single time,” Palmer says.

Not only has the price of honey, the meadery’s main input, increased by 30%, the cost of packaging and bottles has also risen, which impacted such business decisions as ordering custom bottles and altering bottle size.

“We really started pushing the vermouth a lot more when we received our custom bottles in May 2022 as we didn’t have to worry about sourcing our packaging any longer,” Palmer says.

“One of the biggest decisions was to order custom bottles, as buying a whole container was cheaper than the generic glass we were using. Shipping costs and supply chain issues caused our glass to double in price during the pandemic, so although we needed to make the whole purchase up front, it ended up costing us less per bottle going custom.”

The 500 ml custom bottles halve the couple’s costs and ensure that they don’t have to rely as heavily on precarious supply chains.

This year has seen costs stabilize.

“This year is looking really, really good so far,” she adds.

To further grow and regionalize their business, the couple are building their own warehouse on a six-acre property outside of Nanaimo.

“One of the really exciting things is to focus on local and native botanicals, but then actually get to be able to grow some of those on our own property,” Palmer says.

Palmer will continue to source most of their honey from Fort St. John, but would like to contribute some hyper-local product with a few beehives and create an entire field to bottle ecosystem on site.

Palmer has enjoyed working at their leased Esquimalt warehouse but is looking forward to beginning this new chapter.

“To be able to actually kind of have our own property and to be able to grow things ourselves, I think is going to be what gets us to that next level,” she says.

The commitment and passion behind small Island businesses have resulted in international recognition on multiple occasions.

Alongside Rootside Provisions, Macaloney’s Island Distillery in Victoria recently won the World’s Best Pot Still award and awards for Best Canadian Single Malt, Best Canadian Pot Still and Best Canadian Single Cask Malt. Sheringham Distillery in Langford won the World’s Best Contemporary Gin award last year with its flagship spirit Seaside Gin and Cowichan Valley’s Ampersand Distilling Co. won World’s Best Varietal Vodka in 2020, using 100% BC-grown wheat.

Previous Post: « Land values “on solid ground”: FCC
Next Post: Langley seeks deregulation »

Copyright © 2025 Country Life in BC · All Rights Reserved