Meier Family Organic Farm Store focus is on integrity and quality

Shopping local supports farmers and offers an entire experience for families

Rita Pupo displays a plateful of freshly baked Christmas cookies available at The Meier Family Organic Farm.
 She says their store offers customers the opportunity to not only shop, but to learn more about the source of where their food comes from.

The last week before Christmas can be crazy for people. There are gifts to get, lists to make and an endless sea of tasks that suddenly need to be done. The thought of bundling up and heading out to the store can be overwhelming, but it does not need to be, says Rita Pupo.

The Meier Family Organic Farm offers customers an opportunity to support local farmers as well as enjoy the holiday season as it was meant to be.

“The Farm Store is a great place to visit all year round,” says Pupo. Pupo’s parents, Hans and Rosemarie Meier opened their doors three years ago.  “We even have a petting zoo area in the summer time. And fresh produce, of course.”

But, when it comes to Christmas shopping, she says there is no other place quite like the Farm Store.

“Christmas is when people really should consider visiting a place like this. Christmas is so hectic and all about shopping at big stores and buying fancy gifts packaged in lots of plastic. This day-in-age I think it’s important to think about how we can make a difference - for the planet and for our community.”

Pupo says that there are many “great things” available at the store that can “make Christmas special and meaningful.”

And, she points out, Christmas is not simply about gifts.

“If you bring the family, you can make memories, too,” she says. “The family can look around at the fields and see the chickens out and about. And the garden, although it looks pretty bleak this time of year, you can see what you are getting.  Honesty is really important to us, and we are always happy to answer questions about our farm and anything we have at the store. Our customers like to know where the products they are buying come from, and most of what we have here is grown and produced right here on the farm.”

The store has been open for three years, and Pupo says it has been “very rewarding.”

The farm offers unique gift ideas such as machine washable lambskins, dry goods, fresh cookies and custom gift baskets made as you wait.

“There are tons of amazing gifts and food items here at the Farm Store,” she says. “Our fruity jams are amazing, and we have all kinds of preserves. Our goat milk soaps are really popular and we have bath bombs and body care products that are great stocking stuffers. Beeswax candles are a staple at our Christmas morning breakfast.”

She says they offer organic lamb, goat and chickens which are a “great alternative to turkey dinners for a smaller family.”

Everything at the Farm Store is created with the concept of being as organic as possible.

“Our cookies are made with spelt flour, which is an ancient grain. The Christmas cookies are our specialty of German recipes and the best ingredients, like our jam. We can make all these different products because The Meier Family Organic Farm is a homestead type farm with everything from a large market garden to fields with crops and pasture and ethically raised lamb and goats; we even have a bee yard. It’s a ton of work, but it’s our passion. A labour of love.”

The Meier Family Organic Farm store is located at 191 River Road (between Effingham Street and South Pelham Road) in Pelham and is open each Saturday between 10-4.