'Throwback' farmer goes extra mile for customers

February 1st, 2010:

Baked goods, fresh meats home-delivered

LAKESHORE The knock at the door could be Richard Thibert, your personal farmer, home delivering his stone ground multi-grain loaves of bread.

"Can you believe it?" says three-month customer Louise Jones of Windsor. "He not only grows the wheat, then mills it and bakes it on his farm, he brings it to us."

Thibert, 36, sold his stoneground, whole grain loaves of bread, pancake mix, flour and cookies at the downtown farmer's market. But when that wound down for the winter, he started home delivery of his baked goods and meat to more than 15 customers in Windsor once a month.

The fifth-generation farmer says people can have their own dentist, accountant, fitness trainer and hairdresser. Why not a personal farmer?

People used to buy locally from farmers. "It's an old new idea," he says.

Jones, who owns a vintage clothing store called Jones and Company in Walkerville, said she can call Thibert up on his cellphone or email her order.

She sends out information about the Thibert Farm on Twitter to get him more orders. There's no extra cost for home delivery and Jones says the added cost to buy local food - a loaf of multi-grain bread is $4.50 - isn't much to ask. She knows what's in the food.

Jones says sometimes it's hard to convince people that the throwback Thibert is real. "It's like it's too good to be true."

Thibert was recently honoured for the way he farms. The Thibert Farm, southeast of Comber, was the 2009 Conservation Farm Award winner.

The farm was owned by his great, great-grandfather Bernard back in the 1880s. After it had been out of the family's hands for 45 years, Thibert bought the homestead back in 2000 and added 75 acres in 2004.

The property had nine trees when he started. Since then more than 4,700 trees have been planted on the farm. He took more than 10 per cent of his land out of production to plant trees and add a wetland.

"For me it was more important to work with Mother Nature more."

He grows heritage varieties. He said he's the only farmer in Essex County growing a hard red winter wheat that comes from wheat grown in the 1840s in the Peterborough area.

Thibert says he was honoured by the award that is sponsored by the Essex Soil and Crop Improvement Association, the Essex Conservation Club and the Essex Region Conservation Authority.

He's already using his award winning status on his bread labels.

For $4.50, he's got multigrain bread, Irish oatmeal bread and honey whole wheat bread. He charges $5.50 for his latest inspiration loaf with almonds, raisins and pumpkin and sunflower seeds, whatever he decides to throw in.

He sells oatmeal pancake mix for $4 and cookies for $5 a dozen. He sells his stoneground whole wheat flour and meat from the chickens, pigs and beef cattle he raises on the farm.

When the downtown farmer's market starts up again, Thibert will stop his home delivery and let his customers find him at the market.

Until then he can be found at 519-682-0204 and at www.thethibertfarm.com.

Article Credit:

SHARON HILL

The Windsor Star

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