bowerman blueberry farm and market

Episode 14

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (00:01):

Today, we're gonna have a conversation with Andrew VanTil of Bowerman Blueberry Farm and Farm Market. They're in West Michigan and if you have tasted blueberries that you bought from Walmart or Kroger, you probably tasted their blueberries at one point or another. So how does a farm who has national distribution in some of the largest retailers in the country, find the value in connecting directly with you on Market Wagon so that you can know their farm, their name, and chat with them so that you can know where your food came from. Happy 4th of July and enjoy the episode.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (00:35):

Welcome to More Than A Mile, a local food podcast from Market Wagon, focused on connecting you to local food through farmer stories from across America. I'm Nick Carter, your host, a farmer and CEO and co-founder of Market Wagon. We are your online farmers market with a mission to enable food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets. Food is so much more than just nutrients and calories. It's actually the fabric that holds us together. And I look forward to crafting a generational quilt of farmer stories and experiences, the victories and challenges of individuals, families, and teams doing their part to help democratize food in America. Thanks for joining me for this episode of More Than A Mile, and thank you for buying local food. It's one critical step in making an investment in food for future generations.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (01:26):

Well, my guest today is Andrew VanTil from Bowerman Blueberries in Michigan. And welcome to the show, Andrew.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (01:34):

Good morning, Nick.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (01:35):

Great to have you here. Thanks for joining. So this is our 4th of July episode. We're coming up on the middle of the summer. Is that holiday, does that have a big spike for you guys or what kind of impact does that have on your farm?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (01:48):

Oh man. 4Th of July. It's really the start of the season for us. You know, we start harvesting blueberries about a week after the 4th of July. But I think it--I think it really signifies the start of summer for a lot of people. You know, it, here in Michigan, it's, you know, cherries become available right around the 4th of July. We start harvesting blueberries about a week after everybody's out of school, everybody's in summer mode and, you know, for us, it really, it kicks off the summer of amazing Michigan produce.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (02:21):

Awesome. And blueberries are your main thing. Is there anything else you guys grow?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (02:26):

So we have dabbled in a lot of things. We have grown strawberries here on the farm. We've grown raspberries on the farm, we've grown pumpkins, you know, it's all been a matter of you know, figuring out how to bring customers in, not only during this time during the 4th of July when things are really busy, but you know, kind of extending that experience out into other parts of the summer. So, you know, we used to grow asparagus to kick things off really early. That was--that was hard. I'm not gonna lie . And like I said, we then moved into, we did some strawberries, we've done some raspberries, you know, we've tried a lot of different things. And what we found is that, you know, everything that you grow, everything that you do on the farm, it requires a lot of passion, you know, and for us, our passion is definitely it's definitely in blueberries. So while we have done a lot of different things and we've allocated a lot of different space on the farm for different fruits right now we're back to what we started with, and that is blueberries.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (03:27):

Sticking with the core.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (03:28):

That's right.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (03:29):

Okay. And one of the things I've heard you say, I wanna get a little bit into your family farming background, and I've heard you say farming is family. Tell me about that phrase, how that works into your colloquial.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (03:43):

Yeah. So we know that better than anyone here at Bowerman's, you know we are truly your quintessential family farm. I--right now Bowerman is run by me, my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law. Mom and dad still live here on the farm. They're pushing their mid seventies and, you know, they're honestly still the hardest workers on the farm. And I, I don't think they're ever they're ever gonna quit which is great because we absolutely love having them around. But it, as, you know, as we've grown, we've taken in even more you know, more family members. So now I have another brother-in-law, who's working here at the farm. We're starting to see our nieces and nephews get to the age where they're working at our farmer's markets. They're working at our restaurants, you know all the way from from doing dishes at the restaurant to helping on the back of the harvester here on the farm. You know, it's, it really is a, a family effort. And as it's been harder to get you know, employees and good, good people on the farm sometimes, you know, families who you have to rely on.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (04:47):

Yeah, for sure. Very reliable. And I wanna get into, you've mentioned restaurants and farmer's markets and I wanna get into how you've diversified your business, but for a second, I kind of wanna just lean in on the farm side. So we've talked about all the different things you've grown in the past. Talk to me a little bit about blueberries. This is a permaculture, right? These are bushes. How long do they last? How long do you--how long before you have to replace the plant? What's that process look like on your farm?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (05:19):

Yeah, so blueberries are a little bit different than a lot of other fruits and trees and that kind of stuff. So our farm was actually started in 1954. The first bushes were planted back in 1954, and some of those bushes are still here today. So...Yeah.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (05:37):

Really? Okay. It's more like an orchard then?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (05:38):

It, it is. Yeah. And it's you know, it's one of the longest standing industries in Michigan in terms of farming. And there are bushes that are here in Michigan that have been alive and been harvested for the last 80 years. You know, it's, as far as we know, as long as you keep up on, you know, proper nutrition on trimming the bushes and you know, harvesting 'em and that kind of stuff. As far as we know blueberry plants will continue to produce for as long as you take care of 'em, it's not like some other crops where, you know, after 10 or 15 years, you have to rip the plant out and kind of redo it. So definitely a permaculture here.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (06:16):

Fascinating, fascinating. And you know, I've got a small farm in Indy. We've tried to diversify a lot of different things. One of the things we've tried and not done very well with here has been berries. More--we tried blueberries, the deer got all of them. We've tried raspberries and blackberries and we get some, but I think there's a difference between our climate and yours. Can you talk about why Michigan just produces so much in the berry crop and so much better produce?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (06:45):

? Yeah. Well, and of course I'm gonna be a little bit biased. I'm gonna say the best blueberries definitely come from West Michigan. But there's a lot, there's a lot of different factors that, that go into that. You know, I think the reason why the industry was kind of started here blueberries are--blueberries have an affinity to sandy acidic soil. And so when you're on the lake shore of West Michigan that's what we have here. We have sandy acidic soil. And so blueberries naturally thrive in the soil here. And then on top of that, we have the climate, you know, so blueberries take a lot of chill hours during the winter. So there are some varieties that are grown in Mexico and Peru, and that kind of stuff that are kind of an all season crop. They can grow them and they can harvest them at any time.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (07:30):

But the reason that they've been so successful in Michigan is because the blueberry plant naturally needs to go into a dormancy period. It needs to hibernate for a little bit. And so in Michigan we get those chill hours. We get that winter and then it really needs an even climate. So one of the things that the lake does for us is it helps to moderate that climate a little bit, you know, instead of the big temperature swings if it's really hot out, generally, the lake is a little bit cooler and we're getting a nice full breeze, you know, off the lake. It also delays our crop a little bit. So, you know, here in Michigan when you're closer to the lake shore you're growing degree days and the things that that make your bush ready and mature are a little bit pushed back the closer you are to the lake. And we really are a mile and a half off the lake shore. We're in this perfect storm of climate and amazing soil. And then--and you know, bush blueberries are natural here in the Northern Michigan.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (08:32):

Yeah. I'll keep trying to get berries to grow on our little Central Indiana farm here mainly for our own kids to have to go out and pick through some thorns. It builds character--but I'm still gonna be buying berries from you guys for sure. Because we can't get the blueberries to grow here and there's just a difference in quality--it is appreciable.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (08:54):

Well, and you mentioned of struggling to get any with the deer and stuff. And I get customers every year that come and buy blueberry bushes from the farm and they're like, oh, I'm gonna set up, you know, two or three in my front yard and I'm gonna harvest some blueberries off of it. And you know, I say, well, honestly the, I hope you're there. I hope you're getting 'em for looks because you're gonna fight with the birds. You're gonna fight with the deer. And I think the only reason that we end up with any bit of a crop is just because we have so many that the birds and the deer leave full.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (09:22):

Yeah. I've heard that you have to just plant enough--you can't try and keep the birds and deer away, you just have to plan enough that they get full and you still have something to harvest.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (09:29):

Essentially, yeah.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (09:31):

Really? We, yeah, we fight with the deer a lot. We're in a, kind of an urban forest area. So deer and raccoons. Do you do any sweet corn?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (09:42):

We don't. Nope, no traditional row crops. We don't do sweet corn or soybeans or anything like that. 100% blueberries and specialty crops.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (09:50):

Cool. Sweet corn is something that raccoon can smell them ripening and it is infuriating . All right. So you said blueberries, it sounds like that's the staple--kind of that's the fuel that drives everything. Are there any other crops, does the, the fall comes along that you're gonna be harvesting? Is there any other specialty crops that you do have there that are--that you're picking?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (10:14):

You know, for the last couple years we've put a couple acre plot of pumpkins in, and again, this is that's really to kind of enhance and extend that customer experience, you know, to let them come in the fall. We make donuts at our farm market. We do a, you know, like sometimes we'll do a, U-pick pumpkin thing or, you know, just be, be that hub for people to come and get their fall decor, and to, you know, still be able to really visit the farm. And like I said, get some bakery items, get some ice cream, you know, having a family experience.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (10:49):

So we obviously love delivering your food all over the Indiana area and Michigan to customer's doorsteps. We have the online farmer's market on Market Wagon, but sounds like there is quite an experience for the customer to come to your farm. Talk about all the things that if somebody wants to hear this podcast and--in addition to ordering from you on Market Wagon regularly--make a day trip out of it, what would they experience?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (11:16):

Well. So our farm has been growing over the last couple of years and and so we put a farmer's market here on site that has has a full bakery. So we specialize obviously in blueberry donuts. That's one of our number one products, you know, it's kind of what has put us on the map and made us famous. We put a lot of care and effort into those things. But we've also, I mean, we started making, we make our own pies from scratch. We do things like muffins and breads and, you know, we're--with the addition of the restaurant--we've started doing things like handmade cheesecakes and, you know, different kinds of hand pies and that kind of stuff. But when you come to the farm, you get to not only obviously see the agriculture in its true form, you get to come.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (12:00):

And we have you pick available on the farm. You can bring your family here. You can, you can pick as many blueberries as you want to, to take home with you. We have a full ice cream shop here at the farm. We have a retail store. We do events, you know you know, you talk, we talked a little bit about July fourth. We do a summer harvest celebration pretty shortly after that, you know, we bring face painters and, you know, all sorts of different bouncy house and different activities here to the farm because really, you know, we're in the business of making memories and making traditions, you know, so that, that farm experience, that agritourism that has been growing in the last 10 years we've really embraced that and we're looking ahead to what the next step in that is. And that, you know, sometimes we host a lot of school events and school field trips and that kind of stuff. And I could definitely see us in the future, even hosting things like corporate events and potentially weddings and, you know, like there are so many things that are on the docket to really look at in the future.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (13:04):

That's awesome. That's really cool. I'm gonna have to make a trip up there. It's only a couple of hours. Yeah. So talk to me about off farm. You, you've also gotten, you know, your blueberries are in other bakeries.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (13:17):

Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, as a, as a small family farm one of the things that we have to do is we have to carve out a niche in this, in this huge, you know, industrial complex of a, of a produce market. And for us, that niche has been quality. You know, we're, we're a hundred acre blueberry farm which it, you know, it's big, but at the same time, it it's it's very small compared to a lot of the farms that are out there. And so one of the things that we've done to carve out that niche for ourself has been to hyper-specialize in quality. You know one of the things that Market Wagon provides for us is just an amazing logistics network. You know, it allows us to take orders from people all week long.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (14:00):

And the day before we are ready to bring those blueberries down to Indy or to any one of the different hubs for Market Wagon we're out there harvesting those berries that day, you know, so we harvest 'em, we get 'em in the cooler that night. And then the next morning we get 'em packaged into, you know, whether it's a pint or a box that is getting shipped out. And so it's--Market Wagon has been able to reduce the amount of time that it takes to go from field to somebody's fridge. And that's key. I mean, blueberries are a perishable product. They have a great shelf life, but you know, the quicker that we can get 'em into people's hands, the better quality of a product that they're gonna have as well, because we can let those blueberries sit on the bushes a little bit longer, develop a little bit more sugars, get a little bit of that better flavor profile, you know, compared to maybe some other traditional sales methods where, you know, we have to pick 'em a little more ahead of time because we're shipping 'em to Texas and they're gonna be, you know, in a cooler for a week or something.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (15:01):

And if you've gotta put 'em in a cooler for a week that you kind of need to keep them from getting too ripe, right? Cause ripe fruit is tender fruit and doesn't ship as well.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (15:13):

Absolutely. And and not only is it tender, but blueberries specifically are very finicky. I mean, you're dealing with something that, you know, you could have anywhere from 200 to a thousand of them in a pound, you know, compare that to something like apples, where a pound of apples, you might have one apple , you know, and it's, it's really easy. That's a big apple to, yeah. It's easy to do quality control on a single apple, but when you're, when you're doing quality control on a thousand blueberries you know, it's, it's a lot, it's a lot harder. And so our, our machinery, our equipment is very specialized you know, in dealing with that and keeping quality up it's, it's a constant struggle, you know, especially with, with weather, with all the different, you know, different things that can affect quality. It's our job really to, to maintain that. And part of that is maintaining cold chain on the way to the customer and, you know, picking the fruit when it's, when it's at its, you know, peak ripeness, but also, you know, it can withstand the, the little bit of, of bumping that it's gonna take from getting picked.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (16:15):

So, yeah. Tell me, gimme a picture. It was when I think when the average customer thinks of picking blueberries, they see you reaching your hand into the bush and grabbing a blueberry fruit off of there. I'm imagining this is probably a little bit more sophisticated than that. Is it a shaking method with a conveyor underneath or what's the pick method look like?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (16:34):

So we have several different ones. We do machine harvest some stuff but everything that goes to our retail outlets, anything that goes to Market Wagon or goes to our own farmer's market or anything like that that's all gonna be handpicked fruit and the reason...yeah. The reason for that is quality is so much higher in handpicked fruit. Because like you described, we have machines that can pick blueberries and they go over top of the bush, they shake the bush fairly violently and those blueberries--as they fall onto the conveyor--they tend to get a little bit bruised.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (17:06):

So that's gonna go into my blueberry pancakes, my blueberry donuts?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (17:09):

Correct. So the majority, I would say 99% of the fruit that we machine harvest goes into our frozen line. So we wash them--the berries--immediately. We freeze them immediately before any of the bruising can really take effect on the fruit. And that's what goes into the five pound bags and the two pound bags of frozen.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (17:28):

But if a, if a listeners, you know, here's this episode it's gonna drop around July 4th happy Independence Day. And, they order Bowerman Blueberries on Market Wagon and get 'em delivered. Those were hand picked for quality and freshness.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (17:43):

100%, 100% of our retail blueberries are hand picked and that's,

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (17:47):

I'm blown away.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (17:48):

That is a challenge in itself. I will tell you, I mean, with a hundred acres of blueberries, we will take on anywhere from 60 to 110 hand pickers in a year to accommodate getting that volume off.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (18:04):

Wow. That's awesome. That's really cool. And, and it sounds like your parents are the hardest workers in that crew, right?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (18:14):

Yeah. Again, they come from a different generation and you know, dad, when they, when they first started the farm, it was a struggle. And the blueberry industry wasn't well established and you know, they didn't have the logistics methods that we have today. So, I mean, for him, it was--it was growing blueberries during the day, and then it was packing them into a semi and driving them to Detroit at night. It was--and they did all that themselves. You know, we've grown today to be able to specialize in our different roles here on the farm. But I mean, one of the things that I love about being a farmer is that you really learn every different trade aspect, you know, being a farmer, Nick, and I'm sure, you know, this, it makes you become a plumber and an electrician and a builder, and, you know, and a social media marketer and a, you know, logistics, you know, person. I, I mean, there's just so many different

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (19:06):

Facets and a soil scientist too, right?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (19:09):

Oh yeah. Oh man. Absolutely.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (19:11):

Yep. Test the pH levels and figure out how to amend. Oh yeah. Really cool. And what a Testament to the hustle and the entrepreneurial mindset of that last generation. I mean, like you said, picking by hand, building a market, driving at night to Detroit to get it going. And the legacy is here. It's what you've built today. Just a curious question. So your name is Andrew VanTil--where's Bowerman. Where does that fall in the family tree?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (19:36):

Oh man. Bowerman. Bowerman lives with my wife. So I married into the family.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (19:41):

I see.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (19:42):

Oh yeah. And, you know, back when I first joined the farm, which was a little over 10 years ago, it was really more about hiring people that they could trust, you know, it was a growing...

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (19:53):

...and they trusted their son-in-law.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (19:56):

Yeah. Believe it or not, believe it or not, you know, marrying the daughter is one thing, but coming to work on the farm over,

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (20:02):

But taking the blueberry farm over

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (20:03):

that? Yeah. That's a whole 'nother ball game.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (20:06):

A whole 'nother set of vows, right?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (20:07):

Yeah. Oh, trust me, dad was very protective of his daughter, but you wanna talk about being protective of the farm that was a whole nother hurdle to jump .

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (20:17):

Well, he's had those, he's had those plants since 1954, so...

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (20:20):

That's right, exactly.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (20:21):

Yeah.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (20:22):

So, no, but it's you know, I joined the farm about 10 years ago, back then it was a growing industry and a growing farm. And so they needed people that they could trust. And I came from a background of sales and production and marketing. And so that's kind of what I jumped into when I came here. I take care of most of our our sales channels. So things like Market Wagon, things like retail markets and restaurants and stuff, but then also our more, you know, national markets. So we ship our blueberries to all the Piggly Wigglys and the Walmarts and the Krogers of the world all over the country.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (21:01):

Wow. And so that's a direct relationship that doesn't go through, like a produce distributor or anything like that.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (21:06):

We do have a marketing company that we work with that helps us to distribute because again the logistics--what you do on your side of things, Nick--it still amazes me to this day because the logistics side of things, it's a struggle, you know? And I mean, even with rising gas prices nowadays, it's getting trucks to deliver. That's a talent in itself.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (21:29):

So it's, it's a fun challenge. And it's something that we know it's a challenge for farms. You know, you have been able, kudos you guys, to figure out how to be able to get distribution at a scale to, like you said, Krogers and Walmarts. But that direct to consumer relationship is really challenging because really the, the last mile, what we call the last mile distribution in Walmart, or in Kroger is the customer driving their car to the parking lot and putting a cart in their hands and pushing it down the aisle and for us to get it to their doorstep, to do that for them or for a farm to be able to do that, it's really challenging. So we've been excited to be able to bring that solution to farms like yours. And it's a great partnership. We love having you guys on board.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (22:09):

Yeah. And that's definitely our favorite relationship to nurture, you know, for the farmer it is best to go direct to the consumer. And so, you know, whether that be through our farmer's market here on site or restaurant or an offsite farmer's market, or a sales channel like Market Wagon, you know, the best relationship and interaction that a farmer can have is direct to the consumer. And that's the best relationship a consumer can have too, because they then know where their food is coming from and the story behind it. You know, I think, I think the general consumer nowadays is far more interested in where's my, where's my food coming from, who's growing it? And do they care about what they're doing? You know, I mean, I have a four year old daughter that comes to the farm and, you know, she walks right up to a blueberry bush and that's what she wants to eat right off the bush. And so, you know, creating safe tasty produce is what we're passionate about. And I think it's what the people who shop on Market Wagon and the people who are coming to the farm to buy produce and have that experience--that's the type of customer they are. They are far more informed about what they're getting and also just want to develop that relationship.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (23:22):

Yeah. And it's hard to get that relationship or to know, you know, because the shopper going down the aisle at a Walmart, you know, they're gonna feed that to their four year old daughter too, but there's an increasing I guess trepidation around, is this safe? What was put on it? What are the chemicals on this blueberry? And to know that we're sitting here talking to the guy who grows them and his daughter eats them right off the bush. And that means a lot. It means a lot to the people who can know that.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (23:49):

Absolutely. And one of the cool things that Market Wagon offers is it offers that direct communication channel from the consumer, right to the farmer.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (23:58):

So do you get a lot of questions that way? I mean, I know we have a chat right on our website, so customers can just hit you up. Do they light you up a lot?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (24:04):

Absolutely. And thankfully I have a very dedicated team of people that are there to answer those questions, you know? And like we talked about how the average consumer is more informed. I I'm amazed at some of the questions that I get from people. You know, some of the people want to really know the intricacies of farming and of where again, where their produce comes from and the different farming methods that we use. You know, because again, we take a lot of steps to make sure that our food is safe, that our food is tasty, you know? And and that it's a very involved process that people want to feel like they're a part of.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (24:43):

Very cool. Well, thank you for investing the time to answer those questions, to, you know, entertain that relationship and entertain those questions and the curiosities of the consumers, because it makes--that's what makes the experience on Market Wagon worthwhile. So thank you.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (24:58):

Oh yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. We love it. We actually develop great relationships with with customers.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (25:06):

Very cool. Well, this has been a really fun conversation. I appreciate you sharing your time with us. Is there, other than on Market Wagon, we've talked extensively that people can find you online at Market Wagon, they can chat with you on Market Wagon. Where else can people find Bowerman Blueberries and connect with you?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (25:21):

Oh man. Well, my, my first response to that is--has got to be come to Michigan, you know, come to Michigan. It's, it's such a beautiful state, you know, and we're, we're positioned, like I said, we're about a mile and a half from the lake shore. You can't find a more beautiful town and a more beautiful area--it really is blueberry country around here. You know, if you drive right down the road from me, you're just gonna see acres and acres of blueberries. But we have a lot of different ways that people can find us. So of course, come to Michigan, come see our farm, come pick blueberries directly from the bush, come experience, you know, all the different things that we have to offer. We did just open up a restaurant in downtown Holland, Michigan.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (26:03):

Again, it's an amazing cafe experience. It's beautiful windows wide open. We do breakfast and lunch there, and again, a full bakery and ice cream and all that kind of stuff. Market Wagon is gonna be the most convenient. I'll be honest. You know when you taste our products, you fall in love with them. The easiest way to get them to your front door is gonna be via Market Wagon. You know, it allows us to really spread that net out and reach customers that are in places that we never would've had the opportunity. So I have customers that vacation here in Holland, Michigan, and they fall in love with our products and I find out where they're from and I'm like, 'Hey, you're within a Market Wagon distribution network. So here's where you can find us--jump online, jump on Market Wagon. You know, we can deliver our products right to your door.'

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (26:52):

I love to hear that.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (26:53):

And we also I did mention that we're nationally sold in many different grocery stores. And that goes through our marketer who's North Bay Produce. And again, very passionate people about what they do. Amazing company that allows us to distribute our products all over the country. And again, that's another label that is a very safe and very trustworthy name in the grocery store.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (27:19):

So if we're at a supermarket and we see North Bay Produce, we can know one of the farms that they are putting into those clamshells is from you and others that you know.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (27:31):

Yup, exactly. There's about 11 other Michigan farmers and you know, we're all very close knit. We all help each other. We all keep each other in check and hold each other accountable. And so, yeah, it's a great network.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (27:43):

It's a tight community. Farming is a small community. And I think that in and of itself, the relationship that happens between farmers is also why it's just so relational between farmers and then the consumers that are, that are drinking or that are eating the food you grow. Hey, I've got one more silly question and maybe you'll laugh at me and tell me no. Any chance that there's gonna be a blueberry wine in the future?

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (28:08):

So we actually developed a blueberry wine last year.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (28:12):

No way!

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (28:13):

We did. Yeah. So...

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (28:15):

This was not planned. I--you didn't feed me this question.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (28:19):

No, no, I sure didn't so that's been something that's been on our radar for a long time, and I will tell you that, you know, the licensing process for that, you know, whether it's just to sell a bottle of wine that you created or to have somebody be able to enjoy it on site. That's a--it's a long process and it's very, very involved. And we went, we went through that process at our farm market last year. We had a blueberry wine developed, again, it blew me away. So we work with a lot of different, amazing companies. And when you think blueberry wine, well, I mean, the first thing that comes to your mind is like, oh, it's gonna be a very sweet dessert wine. It's gonna be, you know, yeah...

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (28:53):

Fruit forward.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (28:54):

Yeah, absolutely. And what we developed was a much darker red wine. It definitely has the blueberry notes right up front. It's definitely got an inherent sweetness. But it's a much more traditional red wine and it has, and it finishes like a red wine. And it's been, it's been extremely popular. We've been selling it like crazy over the last year. And we're definitely in the process right now of getting our license for our restaurant downtown, because we believe that, you know, people are gonna want to come and enjoy a slice of pie and a glass of wine at our restaurant, you know.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (29:33):

Well, we have been experimenting as well. And I'll have to check into again, the regulations are a huge hurdle, but we are now delivering Indiana wine on Market Wagon. We had to go through a lot of permitting, a lot of processes, and even change some of our own tech and processes to fit the regulations. Of course we have to check ID and all that stuff. But the other infuriating part about those regulations that they're different state by state. So we will have to start the whole process over again in Michigan, but now I'm motivated. So that's our next project. We're gonna go and check out what the rules are in Michigan, and we're gonna roll out our wine delivery. You heard it here, first folks, we're gonna do it in Michigan. Next. We're gonna figure out to get it done. And first product on the market's gonna be Bowerman Blueberry wine.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (30:21):

Oh, that's awesome. I can't wait. My wife has done several of the, like the mail order wine programs, where they send you a couple different wines each month to try. But if we had the ability for her to jump on Market Wagon and pull them from, you know, different farmers like ourselves, people that are again putting a lot of passion and creativity into what they're doing--I think that's gonna go over really well. I know, I'm also a customer of Market Wagon. I'm not only a vendor but I'm a customer. And my wife more specifically does most of the shopping and does a lot of it from home now--I think is a pretty, you know, common trend. But man, I'm, excited about the wine delivery. That's an awesome thing. If we can, if we can get over the regulation hurdles you know, for some reason America has a little bit of a history with bringing alcohol across state borders. There was something, you know, like prohibition...

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (31:16):

Something roughly a hundred years ago.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (31:17):

Yeah, yeah.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (31:18):

Isn't that weird how 100 years ago that problem is still persisting today.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (31:23):

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Even when getting our own liquor license there's some very some very archaic language in there that you're like, 'what?' What, no, we're not gonna set up a backyard, moon shine still, what is this?

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (31:37):

Check the box. Sign the--yes. We are not using old car radiators in any of our production process. That's for those of you who don't know that was a moon shine process. Alright. This has been a fantastic conversation. Thank you so much for sharing just a little bit of your time and your story about Bowman Blueberries with us. It's so great to hear about a multi-generation family business that is succeeding as your your farm is. I mean, congratulations on having distribution through some of the nation's largest retailers. That's incredible. And yet also taking the time to make sure you're building direct relationships with customers who want to know you personally on Market Wagon. So thank you so much, Andrew. I really appreciate it.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (32:22):

Absolutely. And, Nick, thanks for offering up such an amazing, amazing, you know, network for us to be able to connect directly with those consumers. You know, I can't tell you though how much the, the industry is changing. And, you know, when I, I look to, I look at people like you, who, you know, again, have an entrepreneurial type of soul that really wanna, you know, started with a family farm and want to reach out to those consumers directly. I mean, what you've taken your background and you know, help made it into Market Wagon and what it is today. And we're all using our different backgrounds to really kind of spread out, spread our wings and find different, avenues, different sales channels, different, you know, ways to market to the consumer and different ways to interact with them. So, you know, I really appreciate people like you in the industry. And I think it's really the next generation of farmers and what it's gonna take to to grow in this climate.

Nick Carter - Host (Market Wagon) (33:20):

Thanks, Andrew. Thanks for joining us.

Andrew VanTil (Bowerman Blueberries Farm Market) (33:22):

Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Nick.