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Onnink's Farm Blueberry Tea
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Blue Berry Tea Closeup
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Blueberry Chocolates
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Wim Tas making ganache
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Making Chocolatas
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Making Blueberry Chocolates
Everyone knows the delicious flavour of firm, fresh blueberries, but keeping the market growing includes looking for additional ways to use the berry. Sometimes those that aren’t quite so pretty can make a difference to the bottom line as blueberry grower Arina Onnink of Onnink’s Blueberry Farm has discovered. Joining Onnink in the use of berries in new ways is award winning Abbotsford chocolatiers ChocolaTas.
Onnink had no desire to go into farming, but when her father passed away about two years ago and left the blueberry farm to her, she saw an opportunity to turn his legacy into something greater. From blueberry iced tea to blueberry coffee, Onnink knew she could use the blueberries that were too soft for fresh sales in other ways.
“I want to be a sustainable farm,” Onnink says. “I don’t want to throw anything away.”
The soft berries and some of those that are machine picked from the 18 planted acres may have been buried or composted by her father, but Onnink has created retail opportunities from them. The diverse planting on her farm includes Bluecrop, Reka, Brigitta, Draper, Northland and Duke varieties.
It began with blueberry iced tea. Onnink saw that many youth were drinking sugary beverages like pop and she thought she could create something that tasted just as appealing made with organic, decaffeinated tea.
“There’s no sugar in it,” she says. “It’s sweetened with organic honey. I knew we had to invent something that youth can drink – something healthy.”
While the iced tea is currently only available on the farm in what Onnink calls the winter boutique, she has been in discussions with major retailers to carry the product.
Bonbons were next on the list.
“I thought something needs to go with the iced tea,” Onnink says. “I like things that are fancy, so things to go with high tea.”
She consulted with a chocolatier friend and together they created sugar-free, sweetened with organic honey bonbons in multiple flavours using a blueberry chocolate.
“Coffee was the next idea,” Onnink says. “Everything I do, I do healthy.”
The blueberry coffee is also organic. These items, along with a vast array of blueberry baked goods available in standard, gluten-free and vegan options, are all available at the winter boutique. Here, she also hosts high-tea where patrons enjoy all sorts of blueberry products.
“We do high tea by reservation,” she notes. “It has gone really well.”
On the other side of Abbotsford is ChocolaTas, the creation of Wim and Veve Tas. Summer introduced the Berry Box with chocolates made from blueberries, strawberries and raspberries all from Fraser Valley organic farms.
“We are the mecca here for berries,” says Wim of the region. “We are the centre of the earth for berries.”
Most recently, Wim was awarded gold for top artisanal chocolatier and silver for most gifted chocolatier (along with 12 other awards) at the International Chocolate Salon in San Francisco. It is likely creations like the berry box chocolates contributed to those honours due to Wim’s use of flavours to create distinct and memorable chocolates.
There may even be a hops chocolate blend in the works using locally-sourced hops. Wim reaches for local ingredients first in all of his creations.
Blueberry growers are known first and foremost for their fresh firm fruit, but the berries not suitable for fresh sales can create opportunities that are just as tasty.