It all began many years ago in 1981 when the founders of Thiara Blueberry Farms, brothers Narinder and Sulinder Thiara, immigrated to Canada from Punjab, India with just a few dollars in their pockets seeking a better life for themselves and their families. They started their careers working long hours at Purewal Blueberry Farms, a well known farm and local berry packer at the time. While working at Purewal, they quickly learned many important farming skills such as how to plant and care for, harvest, pack, prune, and fertilize numerous varieties of blueberries as well as operate many different types of farm equipment. After five years of working for Purewal, the brothers gained enough experience to feel confident in purchasing their first 10 acre blueberry farm in Pitt Meadows in 1986.
With the support of their wives, Balbir and Sarbjit, they overcame many challenges that come forth naturally with opening a new small family business. Their continued and dedicated work ethic kept them moving forward and the farms expanding. Over the years and as their family grew, the workload on the farm grew to be shared with their two sons, Rajan and Ryan, who also showed great interest in the family business. At a young age Rajan and Ryan were involved in many of the important duties on the farm and today, both brothers are keeping the hands-on, family-run farming tradition alive with Rajan proudly managing the agricultural side and Ryan the business side of the farming operation. Two of their sisters, Taryn and Rajeet, opened our first farm stand on Ford Rd around 10 years ago, building long-lasting relationships with many of our customers and spending many years working hard to meticulously hand-sort and pack each box of blueberries until we upgraded our packing line. Taryn still proudly manages the Ford Rd stand alongside some other members of our family -- Nurdeep, Sukh, Sundeep, Gavin, and Dillon. Two years ago we opened our Harris Rd farm stand, which Rajan and his partner Karlee manage together. Most of the family is involved in and work together on various aspects of seasonal farm sales and are friendly faces greeting customers when they come to visit us at the farm or the farmer's markets! Each member of the family consistently strives to produce exceptional berries that are raised mindfully using best farming and food safety practices, and most importantly, with love for the crop and the local community.
With the support of their wives, Balbir and Sarbjit, they overcame many challenges that come forth naturally with opening a new small family business. Their continued and dedicated work ethic kept them moving forward and the farms expanding. Over the years and as their family grew, the workload on the farm grew to be shared with their two sons, Rajan and Ryan, who also showed great interest in the family business. At a young age Rajan and Ryan were involved in many of the important duties on the farm and today, both brothers are keeping the hands-on, family-run farming tradition alive with Rajan proudly managing the agricultural side and Ryan the business side of the farming operation. Two of their sisters, Taryn and Rajeet, opened our first farm stand on Ford Rd around 10 years ago, building long-lasting relationships with many of our customers and spending many years working hard to meticulously hand-sort and pack each box of blueberries until we upgraded our packing line. Taryn still proudly manages the Ford Rd stand alongside some other members of our family -- Nurdeep, Sukh, Sundeep, Gavin, and Dillon. Two years ago we opened our Harris Rd farm stand, which Rajan and his partner Karlee manage together. Most of the family is involved in and work together on various aspects of seasonal farm sales and are friendly faces greeting customers when they come to visit us at the farm or the farmer's markets! Each member of the family consistently strives to produce exceptional berries that are raised mindfully using best farming and food safety practices, and most importantly, with love for the crop and the local community.
