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Rachael and Rob Campbell own and operate Campbell Garlic outside of Lethbridge, Alberta. They grow hardneck, purple stripe garlic on seven acres of land.
Currently, Campbell Garlic can be found at the Lethbridge Farmers’ Market. To learn more about Campbell Garlic and how to access their products, follow them on their Facebook page.
How Campbell Garlic began:
Growing up on the Vermilion School of Agriculture campus (now Lakeland College) gave Rob the passion for growing things. He later obtained his landscape gardening ticket from Olds College. He has experience growing a wide variety of crops but when he and Rachael were deciding how to make use of the land behind their home, they decided on garlic because of its long shelf life and their love for the plant and the product.
Campbell Garlic products:
Garlic is an efficient crop and they can grow a large volume of product on a small footprint of land. However, the labour for garlic is intense. Most of the weeding, the planting, and the harvest is done by hand. While some of the work can be very difficult and time consuming, Rachael and Rob view working with their hands in the earth as very therapeutic.
They grow three varieties of hardneck, purple stripe garlic: Siberian, Red Russian, and Duganski. While all belong to the same family of garlic, each variety has its own specific heat level and allicin oil content.
They braid most of their garlic crop that they sell partly because it is the best way to store it and partly because it’s so beautiful braided together. During canning season, they sell the “ugly garlic” in bulk as canning garlic. This allows people to get both good value and good quality garlic for their preserves.
Their connection to their customers and relationship to their community:
While they’ve found that garlic can be a polarizing crop, they have seen an overwhelmingly positive response from their local community since they started growing garlic.
They’re noticing that a movement to buy more local food is building in the area and it’s definitely one of the factors that drives customers to their farmers’ market booth. Once customers have tried their garlic, they usually join the ranks of their loyal community of weekly supporters.
Rob and Rachael are also currently working with a few local restaurants to create dishes that specifically highlight Campbell Garlic.
The future of Campbell Garlic:
Rachael and Rob are working hard to make connections with local grocery stores and wholesalers who will carry their garlic. For their garlic growing to be financially sustainable they need to create relationships with wholesalers that will allow them to continue their farmers’ market presence.
“You have to try this garlic. It’s the best garlic ever!” – Rachael Campbell
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