Edwards Farm Store has been serving the local community for two decades.
Opened in 2004 by the Edwards family, the store is a quaint place to shop, where every item has a story, as it is known as a purveyor of an extensive list of local goods, including — but not limited to — fresh eggs, meat, honey, maple syrup, milk and cheese.
“Edwards Farm is owned by David, John and Rosemary Edwards,” said store manager Kathy Macklin. “John and Rosemary are retired but they still actively help where they can on the farm. Rosemary does a lot of store product pickups and John loves to make bird feeder stands and holders. They both also help in raising our chickens, meat chickens and turkeys.”
John and Rosemary Edwards moved to Innisfil in 1970 with their children, Diane and David.
“Dave Edwards manages the day-to-day running of the farm, (which includes) farming the fields, making birdseed mixes, farm vehicle upkeep, helping customers and overall operations of the store,” Macklin explained.
Though the store always offers locally sourced eggs, the farm’s laying hens provide the 600 packs of dozen eggs purchased per month by the store’s customers from April to November every year. Macklin told InnisfilToday their eggs last several weeks and they come from free-range, cage-free hens.
When referring to the care of their chickens and turkeys, she said, "These days, it is so important to know where and how your food is raised. Animals and poultry raised with a loving hand will definitely show in the taste and quality of the meat.”
Macklin said they had a high-school intern last year who enjoyed learning about the chickens so much that she purchased her own chicks to care for this spring.
Macklin has worked at the store for six years alongside not only members of the Edwards family, but fellow employees Amanda, Roy, Joe and Barb, who have helped take care of their customers for 15 years.
As the member of staff in charge of doing all of the ordering, as well as the bookkeeping and office work, Macklin said she prides herself on searching out excellent quality meat while keeping the price in line — which can be challenging in the current economic climate.
“Innisfil is such a fast-growing community and we love being part of that community,” Macklin said. “All of the employees live here in Innisfil so that makes it extra special to be able to provide locally produced food, meat and bird seed to the our fellow neighbours. (The) store has expanded quickly in the last few years, and we are always striving to support the community in whatever ways we can.”
She explained that bagging their own bird seed — which includes both seed grown at the farm and seed purchased in bulk orders — allows them to offer a quality product at a lower price.
“We also grow many acres of sunflowers each year and invite everyone to come and see them and take pictures,” Macklin said.
The sunflowers usually bloom at the end of July.
“We get hundreds of visitors at this time, and it’s so satisfying to see the smiles and happiness in everyone’s faces when they see the beautiful fields," Macklin said. “The Edwards are a wonderful and caring family to work for. Something can be said for working for a family-run business. Everyone is part of this family. It’s a fabulous environment and it shows in all of our loyal customers."
A limited supply of turkeys are available this Easter, and the store offers their farm-raised turkeys at Thanksgiving and Christmas, while their chickens are available year-round.
“All of our beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb and goat is Ontario-raised with no hormones or antibiotics,” Macklin said.
She is always looking for new vendors who enjoy supplying their locally-made products to the community.
“It is fun to talk to local suppliers as they are always so enthusiastic and excited about getting their products into our store,” Macklin said.
The site is located in Innisfil at 1574 9th Line. To learn more about the store, visit its website.
