A growing concern: Wawa blueberry grower aims for banner year.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: NEWS

Afledgling Wawa commercial blueberry grower is banking on a bumper crop to make headway in the competitive Ontario market.

"I'm just trying to get a sustainable yield every year and carry on from there," said Trevor Laing, who together with his wife Tracey, owns and operates Level Plains Enterprises.

He's now entering his fourth year of production and wants a repeat of his 2011 crop when he pulled in about 1,000 pounds per acre.

After the last two mediocre to forgettable crops, "we're expecting to do a lot better this year," said Laing, the former owner of a Wawa forestry services firm. "We had a ton of snow, now we need a hot summer. You get the heat, you get the sugar."

Now marketed under the banner of Algoma Highlands Wild Blueberry Farm, the low-bush blueberry plantation operates on land the couple purchased in 2006.

The 430-acre operation is on flat, sandy soil that was the ancient bottom of Lake Superior and is ideal for blueberries.

The harvest starts sometime between early August and late September, depending upon the weather, and employs as many as 25.

The company does its own packaging and labelling of berries that sell in five and 2.5-pound boxes, and pint-sized containers.

Laing made his first appearance at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto last November, exhibiting a new value-added product line of blueberry syrup, jam and barbecue sauce.

"We sold out at the Royal. We felt if we could get people to try it, we would sell it."

The Laings' product is shipped to the Ontario Food Terminal and some grocery-related southern Ontario clients. The value-added product has found its way into shelves in about 50 stores, mostly in the North.

Fresh berries can't be provided year-round so they rely heavily on large freezer units for...