We (Chris Berry and Melissa Mersey) started our farm in 2013 in Middle Lahave, Nova Scotia when we planted our first haskap berry orchard which is just under one acre. We use our first orchard as a u-pick, which has been very successful. We are now planting our third haskap berry orchard, which will take up four acres. We are located about 15 minutes from Lunenburg, NS, on the beautiful Lahave River.

We follow a philosophy that plants can be grown naturally without the use of any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. It is all about the health of the soil. Our mission is growing healthy, nutrient rich, natural food, beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees. In 2019 we became a certified organic farm.
We are a small, diverse farm and family of three. Chris is the haskap guy and is always experimenting and learning more about haskaps and the other berries we grow, what works, what doesn’t, which varieties are more suited to our farm and which aren’t. He is always striving to grow and produce the best haskaps, raspberries, and blackberries possible. Our farm is his retirement plan and we are both looking forward to having him home on the farm full time. We have big plans for 2020 to get us closer to this goal.
I (Melissa) work on the farm full-time which allows me to be home with our son. I am very thankful to be able to walk out my back door and be at work. I have always loved really good, healthy food and beautiful flowers and gardens so I planted more perennials and annuals all over our farm for use on my bouquets. I grow and meticulously design all of the bouquets myself. Bouquets are available during the growing season and can be made to order by calling 902-521-1701 or by emailing melissa@lahaveriverberryfarm.ca. Bouquets can also be purchased at the Lunenburg Farmer’s Market. I do occasionally borrow a flower or two from a family members garden if it is requested and I don’t have any or enough available.
In addition to our berry crops and garlic, Melissa grows tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, lettuces, beans, herbs, and of course lots of flowers. We try our best to harvest our berries and produce at peak ripeness to ensure they are at their most deliciousness for our valued customers.
I make our Berry’s Berries products using my own secret recipes in small batches to ensure maximum quality and taste. So far we have haskap berry jam, jelly, spicy haskap jelly, haskap berry fruit leather, and dried haskap berries. All of our products are sweetened with honey and never any refined sugar. My spicy haskap berry jelly is made with hot peppers from my garden. I am looking forward to making products with our raspberries after the harvest.
We use and sell organic fertilizers and soil amendments such as Gaia Green, Neptune’s Harvest, and Myke Pro products. We are always adding to our product and retail lines. Our services include soil health consultation, we can help you grow the best plants and vegetables you’ve ever grown.
We host an annual haskap berry u-pick in July depending on when the berries ripen. We participate in Open Farm Day and give farm tours to an increasing audience every year. We are currently looking at building a retail space in the future to better serve our customers.
Everything is available at our farm, though it’s best to call first especially during the off season to make sure we are available. You can order haskap berry plants, fertilizers and wildlife control products on our website at lahaveriverberryfarm.ca. We can be found at the Lunenburg Farmer’s Market every Thursday morning during the growing season.