Since venturing into farming with little or no experience in 2017, things have come a long way for Brandon Harris and Greg Lyytinen, owners of Pitch Creek Farm. “When we started our first year, I think we were at the [Thunder Bay Country Market] for maybe eight weeks. Now we're at market about 42 weeks of the year,” Harris says. “It's pretty good for our climate. So every year we try and stay a little bit longer.”

Pitch Creek Farm is located on three acres of land in Nolalu. Harris and Lyytinen have invested in 7,000 square feet of heated greenhouse space and 4,500 square feet of unheated greenhouse space, with plans to expand. “Our business really took off during COVID because there's a huge interest in local veg and we've managed to, I think, almost triple the size of our business since 2020,” Harris says. “It’s been a lot of work, but it’s worth it.” Part of the growth was through their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares, which has 150 members and runs from April to November.

“It’s an honour,” Harris says of being voted Best Market Vendor. “We’ve had a super busy year of interest; this year at the market has been insane. I don’t know what it is about this year, but we’ve had lineups almost every day at the market. So I mean, it feels good to be in your eighth year and be recognized.”