Meet the farmers
Paul Hoepfner-Homme
Paul was fortunate to grow up in a gardener’s oasis uncharacteristic of the norm in suburban Oakville, Ontario. His mother, a passionate gardener, transformed the lawns into a thriving landscape consisting of native plants and shrubs, vegetables and berries. Being raised in this environment gave Paul an early appreciation for what grows out of the ground. During university he developed a passion for sustainability when he read the novel Ishmael, and upon completing his computer science degree he made it his mission to learn how to live sustainably. This passion led him to enrol in a 7-month internship at Everdale, an organic farm in Ontario, where he gained valuable skills and knowledge in operating an organic vegetable farm. In 2008 he moved to the Kootenays and took a Permaculture Design course in Winlaw, where he gained a deeper understanding of growing food in relationship with ecosystems.
Paul is 29 and lives in the vibrant community of Nelson.
Laire Taverner
Laire has been interested in gardening since he was a kid in Ontario. Travelling and living around the world has led him to Nelson to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle, which he got interested in while living with 76-year-old "Auntie Alice" in Antigua, West Indies, after which he spent a summer in Nova Scotia and a winter in Australia, WWOOFing on organic and permaculture farms. This summer, Laire plans on integrating flowers into the urban farm to be available at market in cut and edible varieties.
