The Rural Voice, 1998-05, Page 25Cynthia, who works in banking,
has supported Mike wholeheartedly,
he says, adding that right now,
however, her focus is in looking after
their three small children, Thomas,
three and one -year-old twins, Marcus
and Lieshen.
But while the image of reclusive
"back -to -the -Zanders" might be
emerging after this part of the story,
there's another side to the Berettas.
While Mike's focus continues to be
on agriculture, it has spread recently.
With the Toronto market for his
organic product growing to the point
where he had reached his limit, he
wanted a tie that would allow greater
access. "When I first started selling
in the city it was to family and
friends. By word of mouth that has
increased to 135 families and several
restaurants and hotels."
Recently, the couple purchased
a butcher shop in Brussels.
"It's an idea I've been
thinking of for awhile that just
seemed to make sense.
"Also as we're new here, I
thought it would be a nice way to get
acquainted with the community.
"I have always enjoyed the
butchering aspect and with the
Toronto market growing this will
help me as well as other local farmers
to expand into that."
In a way the shop also combines
both old and new: modern facilities
with a nostalgic atmosphere. "We
have some ideas to try and make it as
old-fashioned a meat shop as
possible. Everyone has a memory of
that so we're trying to recapture a bit
of the old atmosphere," said Mike.
And for those who are interested in
organic meat, custom orders will be
taken.
While Cynthia continues to work
in the bank across the street, they
hope someday she'll be able to join
the family business.
Hoping that the farm and Berettas
Butcher Shop will be something that
he can offer his children in the future,
Mike again credits the Mennonite
community for its insight.
"In terms of sustainable
agriculture I believe to be truly
sustainable means passing it on to the
next generation. I think that's key to
what we're trying to do. There the
Mennonites have most of us beat."0
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