Harvesting Off the Grid
SHERI PAYNTER
Off the Grid Winery
Off the Grid is a family winery opened November, 2015 and is operated by Sheri Paynter, her husband Travis, his brother Nigel and Nigel’s wife Hayley. The facility spans three different family properties and includes the winery, wedding ceremony venue and a small farm.
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- I’m proud to be a farmer today because it feels really good to create something from start to finish, to know everything that went into it, and to know you have made something you are truly proud of. I can’t imagine anything more satisfying.
- A good day at the office includes feeding the animals and collecting eggs; that’s my favourite way to start the day (my husband would not agree) but for myself as someone who didn›t grow up on a farm, this provides a lot of satisfaction. After that I typically spend time answering emails and calls, responding to brides looking to book a wedding ceremony venue, sourcing local artisans for our tasting room and working on our property to complete the winery and garden area. After lunch, I’m working in the tasting room, sharing our wine and our story with customers. Then it’s dinner with the family.
- A hard day at the office includes Harvest – that makes for some of the longest days. For the last eight years or so we would spend the day picking, then turn the grapes over to the wineries and go home for dinner. But since we started making wine and the addition of crushing and pressing, the days have become much longer and harder.
- My greatest inspiration comes from the rest of our family. My husband’s family’s has been farming in Westbank for over 100 years. Where we live we are surrounded by brothers, cousins, aunties, uncles and so on and everyone farms grapes, fruits or vegetables. This makes a beautiful life to be part of, and a large close knit family that not only hangs out together, but helps and supports each other in everything we do. We want to create a future in farming for our children so they can continue to enjoy this wonderful life we feel blessed to have.
- My advice for others looking to operate a farm business today is follow your dreams, there are always people who will say it’s too hard, or you can’t afford it, but anything worth doing takes hard work. Stop and talk to other farmers; people in this community are happy to share their knowledge and advice. The more research you can do in the beginning and the more comprehensive the business plan, the better farm you can start with.