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Healthy, local and convenient make much money at it either.” spotted daily tending to their 140 Black An-
are not just words on the They raised Black Angus beef cattle for sev- gus cattle or their 30 head of bison.
Oakridge Acres Country Meat eral years before Mark decided to make a The shaggy-coated animals, which the Ger-
Store website but a mission for go of it full time and gave up his job in 2003 bers introduced seven years ago, are con-

the Gerber family. as a parts manager for a trucking company siderably larger than beef cattle but are
after 25 years. A month after making that rich in iron and low in cholesterol and offer
Since 2008, Mark and Cindy Gerber, along leap the couple hit a roadblock when BSE consumers a healthier alternative.
with their adult children Jessica and Benja- (also known as mad cow disease) decimat- “We’ve stuck to our roots,” says Mark, who
min, have been providing top-quality prod- ed the beef industry nationwide. also works the fields for five neighbouring
ucts and customer service at their store “We felt like we were in a free fall. We had farms that also follow the Gerbers organic
located on their picturesque 175-acre farm no income,” says Cindy. “And we had all farming method.
on Greenfield Road near Ayr. these animals and we couldn’t give them
away.” However, between running a thriving retail
“We absolutely love what we do,” says Cin- business and the farm, the Gerbers admit
dy, taking a moment to chat between cus- That’s when the couple put out a ‘shingle’ spare time is a luxury.
tomers. “It just fits us like a glove. We get at the end of their driveway offering beef
to work with people, and we run a business for sale from a freezer in their garage. “It’s a lifestyle. It’s certainly not a job,” says
that has become a destination for many Cindy, who also gave up her office manager
people.” “We didn’t even fix up our garage,” jokes job many years ago to join her husband.
Cindy. “I wondered how anybody would “But thankfully, we have Jessica.”
A winding driveway leads visitors to the want to buy from us?”
door of the store, past rolling pastures Jessica, 31, who has chaired the Foodlink
where herds of grass-fed Black Angus cattle But the high quality of their beef brought in board since 2015, has become a key part-
and bison graze, almost a stone’s throw the customers and soon they began field- ner in the family business and has shared a
away from the family’s home. The store, ing requests for other meats. The Gerbers
which carries a vast assortment of meats responded and formed an alliance with a
and vegetables as well homemade meals farming friend who supplied them with
and products, has taken the concept of or- chicken and lamb, and the business began
ganic farming to new heights. to grow.
“People come to us from all over because At that time, Cindy says The 100-Mile Diet
we’re a niche market,” explains Cindy, who concept had gained popularity as consum-
admits operating an organic farm – free ers looked for alternatives to promote a
from the use of sprays and antibiotics – can healthier way of life by buying more local
be a tough endeavour. products. As well, the Gerbers had joined
Foodlink Waterloo Region which gave them
“No way are we doing it the easy way,” she the opportunity to form more alliances
says. with like-minded farmers and began carry-
ing their products.
But she says her family’s commitment to
the farm stems back to 1978 when her late “We quickly learned that you can’t be ev-
parents first bought the property, which at erything to everybody; it’s too much work,”
that time had many large oak trees. says Mark.
Cindy and Mark, who worked together at It’s a formula that worked and now the
her father’s Kitchener-based Mack truck store, which they opened 11 years ago, of-
business for many years, moved to the fers nearly two dozen freezers of quality
property in 1996 and a few years later de- meats, including bison, Angus beef, pork
cided to enter the beef industry. and poultry as well as more exotic fare Jessica Gerber has been working with her parents for the
as wild boar, rabbit, elk and emu. Besides past decade at Oakridge Acres Country Meat Store.
Mark grew up on a dairy farm near Mill- meats, vegetables and desserts, the market variety of responsibilities with her parents
bank, where the couple first lived after they also carries homemade soaps and a bevy of for the past decade.
were married. ready-made meals prepared daily by their
chefs in an onsite kitchen. The kitchen is a “We all recognized that if we’re going to
“When you’re a farmer, you’re always a part of the business which Cindy says has
farmer,” jokes Mark, adding the beef indus- seen a 20% growth every year. make this work, there’s certain stuff that
try seemed simpler compared to a dairy or needs to get done,” says Mark, noting Jes-
chicken operation. “It doesn’t cost a lot to But at its core, Oakridge Acres remains a sica also helps him feed the animals and
get into beef, but we found out you don’t family farm operation, where Mark can be tends to the garden centre.

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Spring 2019