Vancouver Island Kiwi

When you think of supporting local farmers or buying locally grown produce, you might generally think of products like pumpkins, peppers, strawberries, etc. You might not think of some more tropical options, like kiwi. But you should: it turns out, Vancouver Island-grown kiwi is a niche that some local farmers have decided to invest in.

Stuart Basset’s kiwi-growing experience comes from living in New Zealand, where he managed kiwi orchards. Recently relocated to Canada with his wife and children, Basset wanted to continue working with the fruit and found a small kiwi fruit orchard to manage on the Saanich Peninsula. 

Under Basset’s care, the previously overgrown orchard is now flourishing, with a new crop to be picked in November. The fruit will be for sale at Red Barn Markets, Mother Nature’s Market, and The Rootcellar. The young entrepreneur has also collaborated with Ile Sauvage Brewing, who will be making a kiwi beer, and with Cultured Kombucha, who will be making a kiwi-flavoured kombucha. 

If you really love kiwi, then the opportunity for a relaxed getaway at a beautiful lodge on a kiwi farm might sound appealing to you. Kiwi Cove Lodge is located on 10 acres of waterfront property in Ladysmith. With 12 beautiful rooms, a large dining room and a view of their 134 kiwi vines, the mountains and the Ladysmith harbour, the lodge is the perfect place to relax.

The owners of Kiwi Cove Lodge, Doug and Peggy Kolosoff, grow two types of kiwi, which flourish on the six-foot high overhead trellis system. Mature vines can produce up to 100 pounds of the fruit, so the Kolosoffs are kept busy with their plants. With nearly 20 years’ experience harvesting the fruit, the Kolosoffs have also discovered the best way to eat them, curating their own kiwi recipes.

So, next time you have a hankering for the tangy sweet burst of flavour a kiwi provides, think local.