Local food is a way of life for Collholm Farm
Colleen Alloi, Collholm Farm
Colleen Alloi comes from a long line of farmers. She was born a Fremlin, a name well known in Algoma and beyond for dairy farming.
“I started milking the cows when I was a young girl in grade five,” Alloi said.
Alloi went to rural elementary and high schools in Algoma, and she completed her post secondary school education at Guelph University where she studied business and science related to agriculture. Suffice to say: Alloi is a farm girl through and through.
Today, Alloi and her husband Ray own Collholm Farm, a seventy-two-acre parcel of property in Echo Bay, Ontario.
“We purchased the land in 1986, where we raised not only our children, but we raised and sold lamb, pork, chicken, eggs, duck eggs (seasonally) and some beef,” she said.
“My son Warren and I care for the animals and work in the fields; my husband is the fixer of equipment or anything else that needs repair on the farm. We grow our own feed for our animals, including alfalfa, peas, and oats. We’ve been farming this land for over thirty-five years now.”
In the early 2000s, Mennonites began moving into the area and started applying co-operative business styles with other businesses in the area. Alloi liked this style of doing business, and began sharing orders which started with lamb.
“When the Mill Market in Sault Ste. Marie started up in 2014, I was one of the first vendors who set up a stall there,” she said.
“At that time, we only sold meat and eggs. Then, some of the Old Order Orthodox Mennonite families approached me and they wanted to partner to help them sell the produce they grow during the season.”
Collholm farm currently partners with Isaac Doerksen, Samuel and Jonas Hoover, and Silas Bowman by selling their fresh vegetables and preserves grown on farms in the Echo Bay and Desbarats area.
“The season used to be very short in the early days, however more and more of the farmers are investing in greenhouses in order to extend the season and to keep up with demand,” Alloi explained.
She quickly learned that during the winter months, Silas Bowman was very talented at using a knitting machine to make beautiful hats. His rag rugs are also popular with her customers. Another sought-after item are Leather belts made using the same technique as making horse harnesses.
This past summer, Alloi partnered with Levi and Ida Yoder, a pair of Amish farmers from the Dayton area near Iron Bridge, who make handmade chocolates and peanut/cashew brittle. These items have proved to be a new favourite among her customers at the booth at Mill Market.
To ensure complete transparency at the Collholm Farm vendor booth at Mill Market, you will see signage that details who and what items are from the Mennonite and Amish farms. That’s not only a requirement of the market, but it’s important for customers to know where the products originate from and who grows and makes the items they’re buying.
Alloi is a vendor at Mill Market in Sault Ste. Marie
When asked about how COVID-19 has affected her farm and business, Alloi said she had seen pandemics happen on a much smaller scale in the agricultural world, dealt with them, and learned from them. She explained the difference is the current pandemic is on a much larger scale.
“It has changed the way we serve customers at the market and we’re taking precautions to help stop it from spreading,” she said.
“Here on the farm, we don’t encourage visitors or customers dropping by as we are not set up for that. I much prefer our customers to contact me directly for an order, or to see me at the market. The pandemic will pass, and we will learn to prevent it from happening again.”
Alloi believes in locally grown and raised food. It’s a way of life for her and her family, along with many other families in Algoma. I think it is important as consumers to do all we can to help support the farming community and ensure that local farmers will be able to continue doing what they do best. Thank you, Colleen!
Collholm Farm
Colleen Alloi
3451 Hwy 17 B
Echo Bay, ON
705 248-3287
https://www.facebook.com/Collholmfarm
Find the Collholm Farm booth at https://www.facebook.com/millmarketssm Year-round on Saturdays from 9 AM – 2 PM
