Located in Caledon and open year-round, Heatherlea Farm Shoppe is the epitome of authentic. With a mission to: “raise and craft the highest quality artisan meats, meals, snacks and treats using clean ingredients and local products.” The McArthur family turns hard work and an unwavering dedication to high quality, into a successful and expanding on-farm market.
Heatherlea Acres, a picturesque farm located on the Niagara Escarpment, has been owned by the McArthur family since the mid-1800’s. The terrain is perfectly suited for raising black angus grass-fed beef that roam and graze in the pasture, raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics.
Considering the long history of farming on the property the idea of a Market is a fairly new one. Starting with occasional sales of sides and quarters of beef to friends and family, Gord and his wife Pat decided to take a leap of faith and open an on-farm market in 2009. Their son Don and his wife Melinda joined the family business too. And so it began…
It didn’t take long for customers to ask for local chicken and pork, in addition to the beef, that were drug-free. Over the last five years, the store has grown to take over three rooms of the family farm-house to hold frozen meats (including local lamb, bison, emu, and fish), produce, eggs, cheese, dairy, and other locally-sourced fine foods. To fulfill Pat’s talent and passion for cooking, a commercial kitchen was added in July 2011 in an outer building to produce value-added, from-scratch meals and baked goods using home-raised and local ingredients.
This year is an exciting one for the family. A new larger on-farm facility has been built allowing them to expand their selection of freshly made goods and add a butcher and cooking classes.
Visit the Heatherlea Farm Shoppe at 17049 Winston Churchill Blvd, follow them on Facebook or check out their website at: www.heatherlea.ca
