Broxburn Vegetables & Café in Lethbridge, Alta., is one of the participants in Tourism Lethbridge's tourism app.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
Home to nearly 4,500 farms that grow more than 65 specialty crops, Lethbridge, Alta., has earned the title of Canada’s premium food corridor.
The community of just more than 100,000 residents is southern Alberta’s commercial, financial, transportation and industrial centre.
Roughly 20 per cent of the region’s GDP, or $8-billion, comes from agriculture. Large agricultural producers are drawn to the area because of its proximity to the U.S. border. The local economy is also not as reliant on the oil and gas industry as some other parts of Alberta, but is home to several alternative energy projects that appeal to big food manufacturers.
“Everything here is tied to agriculture,” said Erin Crane, chief executive of Tourism Lethbridge. When she took the role almost a year ago, Ms. Crane’s goal was to connect tourism and agriculture in the region.
Recently, Tourism Lethbridge launched an agritourism app as part of Canada’s Food Tours, which showcases local farms, producers, restaurants and experiences. The app features a driving tour with maps and descriptions of participating businesses, allowing tourists the opportunity to explore many of the family-run farms, greenhouses and large-scale agriculture operations that are spread out over 4.2 million acres of land in the region.
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There are six farms and food businesses included in the driving tour, along with other attractions and points of interest, such as provincial parks.
Broxburn Vegetables & Café in Lethbridge is one of the participants. The farm produces several greenhouse fruits and vegetables, including one of the largest commercial broccoli crops in Alberta.
Crystal Springs is another stop on the tour. The Coalhurst, Alta., dairy farm produces handmade European-style cheese in small batches from A2 milk, which is free of the A1 beta-casein variant that is believed to be linked to some digestive issues.
The driving tour is important as many of the farms are accessible only by gravel roads, Ms. Crane said. “I’m from the city and someone says turn right on this dirt road and you get on to a gravel road and you think you’re going the wrong direction. But no, you’re not. The majority of roads here in southern Alberta are gravel.”
In the future, Ms. Crane is hoping to add more interactive features to the app, such as videos, augmented and virtual reality and scavenger hunts, along with opportunities for tourists to participate in experiences such as milking cows and making cheese.
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Ms. Crane is hoping to add more interactive features to the app, such as videos, augmented and virtual reality and scavenger hunts.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
Daniella de Jonge chats with the chickens at Broxburn Vegetables & Café in Lethbridge. In 1994, Ms. de Jonge’s father, Paul de Jonge, purchased 80 acres of land east of Lethbridge with the intention of starting a U-pick strawberry farm after realizing that he wanted to spend more time with his family.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
In 1996, the de Jonges built a greenhouse and began growing peppers, and in 2001, a larger greenhouse was built to grow tomatoes.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
A man uses a lift to harvest vertically grown peppers at Broxburn Vegetables & Cafe in Lethbridge on Sept. 20. In 2004, the de Jonges repurposed a barn on their property into a café and storefront. Broxburn now produces a number of seasonal and greenhouse fruits and vegetables including one of the largest commercial broccoli crops in Alberta.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
Jacco Beyer visits with his dairy cows at Crystal Springs in Coalhurst on Sept. 20. Crystal Springs is a complete producing to processing farm that creates European-style cheese in small, handmade batches. All the cows at Crystal Springs are A2 and produce milk that is free of the A1 beta-casein. With the cheesemaking facility in full view of the storefront, Crystal Springs is a popular stop on Canada's Food Tours through Lethbridge Tourism.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
Mr. Beyer's parents purchased the dairy farm in 2005 and have expanded their production with the help of their two sons and three daughters.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
Erin Crane took over as CEO of Tourism Lethbridge almost a year ago and has focused on creating an agritourism industry for the area. According to Ms. Crane, with 20 per cent of the regions GDP coming from agriculture, everything in the area is tied to the land.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail