Welcome to Maitside Orchards!
We are Jared and Monica Brouwer. Maitside Orchards has quite a history and we are excited to be a part of it. The original orchard was planted in 1912. We purchased Maitside in July 2016 and have been learning the ins and outs of growing delicious and nutritious apples and garlic ever since. We hope to be here for many more years with our growing family. We are so thankful that God has given us an opportunity to do this together!
We are Jared and Monica Brouwer. Maitside Orchards has quite a history and we are excited to be a part of it. The original orchard was planted in 1912. We purchased Maitside in July 2016 and have been learning the ins and outs of growing delicious and nutritious apples and garlic ever since. We hope to be here for many more years with our growing family. We are so thankful that God has given us an opportunity to do this together!
Jared grew up just outside of Cambridge, ON. As a young boy he took care of critters with his Opa and ran a market stand with his cousin selling cookies and produce. He worked on farms since he was 13 years old, and spent 8 years working at Bosdale Farms where his boss was Monica's dad. In 2011 we were married and made the move to Huron County so that we could live in the country. We had a lovely home on Moncrieff Rd between Brussels and Blyth and weren't thinking of moving, but when the opportunity to purchase the orchard came up that all changed and here we are!
Monica Bos was also born in Cambridge, ON on a farm just down the road from Jared. We didn't know each other until Jared came to work at the farm. Monica loved living on the farm and helping her dad in the barn. As a teenager she worked at several produce farms and Farmer's Markets and dreamed of starting her own blueberry farm. Around this time her and Jared became close friends, doing a lot of things together with the church Youth Group. In 2011 she became Monica Brouwer and we have been blessed with 4 wonderful children (so far) James, Heidi, Jesse and Hannah. Now we own an apple orchard and Monica's dream has come true...well almost! All you have to do is switch blueberries for apples, and who knows? Maybe we'll grow blueberries someday too!
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James is an energetic little man who has kept his mama hopping since the day he was born in 2012! He loves fishing, screwdrivers and tools and can usually be found helping his dad fix something or building something in his workshop. He loves being a farmer, having his dad around all day, and serving customers in our store.
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Heidi was born in 2014 and is a very sweet, very blond little girl! She takes good care of her little brother and sisters and loves animals. Not much frightens Heidi! It doesn't matter how loud or how high, Heidi is right in on it. She is very sociable and especially loves coming along to market and cooking, baking or canning with Mom in the kitchen!
Jesse, also known as "Moose," joined our family in 2015. He loves the outdoors, tractors and mud! He spends the days tagging along with his big brother and sister, helping Mom in the garden, and telling stories.
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Hannah was born in June, 2018. She is a very talkative, curly, blond, independent little girl. Her favourite thing is to go to the barn and in the tractor with her Daddy!
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Keziah was born in 2020 and has made this a very busy summer! We all love her very much and she is the sweetest little sister ever!
Since early 2018 we have been welcoming WWOOFers (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) into our family to experience the dream life of a small farm. We have enjoyed getting to know young people from France, Japan, Toronto, Mexico and Switzerland to name just a few of the places! So if you see a stranger in town perhaps they are staying at the Brouwer's and I'm sure they would love to get to know you!
