Our Mission
Our Commitment
Mission
Our mission is to share our family’s passion for sustainable farming and fresh food.
Values
We have a set of values our family lives by in order to uphold our mission. These values are as follows:
Freshness
Our product has and always will be fresh and top quality. All of our products are hand-picked the day before, or the same day, as it is sold to our customers. We only pick produce when it’s ripe in the field to ensure the freshest taste.
We locally source a limited amount of other produce to supplement our own products. For these products, we have long-standing relationships with these farmers whom we feel have demonstrated consistency and ethical growing practices over time. Similarly, the meat we source comes from farmers that we believe use practices similar to our own and maintain ethical practices with their animals.
Convenience
We know everyone’s lives are busy. That is why we maintain many options to get food to our customers. We carry a diverse line of products in our farm store, with the goal to be a “one-stop shop” for our customers. Other ways in which we live our value of convenience:
- We travel to 12 different farmer’s markets throughout the GTA and beyond
- We maintain a CSA program that serves over 300 families
- We have an on-site farm store which is open 7 days a week
Education
We believe in educating people about farming and knowing where their food comes from. Some of the ways we educate:
- Family members run the business and are involved in every process
- Open our fields to the public through free weekly farm tours
- Facilitate school tours
- Engage in community
- Organize school food fundraisers to help kids sell healthy produce baskets
Innovation
We strive to be at the forefront of our industry by trying new growing techniques, planting new varieties of fruits and vegetables, planting ethnic crops, and utilizing modern technology. We attend industry workshops and conferences, as well as listen to our customers in order to keep ahead of current food trends.
Environment
Our family wants to keep our land strong and healthy for many generations to come. We strive to have a smaller ecological footprint and produce the best. We participate in sustainable farming practices such as soil and erosion protection, crop rotation, pest management, and limiting sprays to keep the soil as rich as possible.
Happy Animals
We love all of our animals and raise them humanely. Our animals are pasture-raised and are not fed growth hormones or antibiotics. They are raised naturally and fed non-GMO feed. We truly live by the motto that: Healthy animals taste better. We think you will taste the difference too.
Customer Service
In retail, success comes when you offer customers the very best service, selection & quality. At Willowtree we strive to make sure every shopper that enters through our market doors, checks out on our website or takes time out of their day to visit us at a farmers market feels like they are receiving this.