When I think about the number 30, I feel like I should be much older, but then again, I guess I am. Everyone says that time flies when you are having fun, with how fast these years have gone by, we must have been having way too much fun. From our first 2 pigs, Charlotte and Wilber to three magnificent children, Thomas, Marcus and Lieschen, loosing a barn to fire, rebuilding the barn, selling a farm and moving multiple times, it has certainly been a wild ride. We sold and bought back our business, we’ve loved and lost pets and lost my father well before his time. We’ve made great decisions and not so great ones and made sure to keep learning from both along the way. We’ve built a team of staff around us that have become part of our family and added new business partners that have become the same. Family values are what started this business and it will be family values that ensure it’s continued growth and success.
This business of farming is an unconquerable beast, it’s never stagnant, it’s constantly changing, and I would be lying if I said that the last 30 years have been easy or that as time goes by business gets easier. The truth is that being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. It takes impossible amounts of optimism and strength to carry it all, a fantastic sense of humor and a certain amount of humility to accept all the things that you simply cannot change (a little bravery helps too!).
The changes that have come our way over the years or that we have caused in our industry are beyond anything I would have expected when we started out. We have helped to educate Canada and the world about Canada’s supply of organic and antibiotic & hormone free meats. From beef and pork to chicken and bison, Beretta Farms has proven that a single farm can make a difference in the food chain. A small family business can have a voice and help other farmers and ranchers across Canada supply the food industry with ethical and sustainable meat. In a time where meat has become the villain, we’ve been able to go from the underdog to the industry leader, proving with every steak that we sell that there is a better way to raise livestock and a better way to feed people that makes both the ground our animals graze on and the end consumer healthier. Food has become “Sexy and In”, ranchers and chefs are celebrities, slowly but surely the industry is changing and we love that we can be a part of that. I never would have thought 30 years ago, with two pigs and a dream that one day a young female rancher would be on the cover of Better Farming and in an A&W commercial, having her as a daughter makes it even more special.
Mike and I grew up as Beretta grew up. As we added children to our family, we added staff to our “family” and managed to instill in them the same dreams and values that we started with. We could never have imagined the Brand of Beretta Farms becoming what it is today, and I can only imagine where it will be in another 10 years. From the start we wanted to raise animals as close to nature as possible and we wanted to feed our new family the best ingredients we could. We wanted to respect the animals that we raised and apply that same respect and kindness to our staff, partners and clients and that goal drives many of the decision we make every day.
Of all the things that we have been able to build and experience in the last 30 years, our children are what continue to amaze us most. All three of the kids (now very much adults!) are involved in the business, some fulltime and some part time, they’ve always blead Beretta and the energy they bring to the business inspires us to keep building. They have watched their parents work through many hardships and enjoy many successes over the years and through it all we have involved them so that they understood what it takes, and the hard work that you put in for something you truly believe in. I have always told them that nothing in life worth holding onto ever comes easy, but with a little luck, true hard work and some love and passion, you can achieve anything.
So maybe my advice for the young Cynthia is, change is your only constant, grab onto that change and enjoy the ride!
If you ever want to try something new, that you know nothing about, know it is possible to chase a dream, you never know what you might find around the corner😊
Here’s to Better day’s and another Beautiful 30 years of Beretta!
Baci,
Cynthia