River
Front Berry Farm originated in 1994 after Bob and Coleen Blain retired as
educators in suburban Chicago and returned
to the farm in down state Illinois
where Bob grew up. The farm was originally purchased by Bob's grandfather,
Gilbert Demierre in 1906. Coleen and Bob are the third generation of the
family to operate the farm. The farm is located in northeast IroquoisCounty
and boarders the IroquoisRiver which results
in the name River Front Berry Farm.
Fruits grown on the farm include: strawberries, red raspberries,
blueberries, gooseberries, apples, cherries, peaches, and now black
raspberries. Vegetable crops grown include: asparagus, garlic, sweet corn
and over 20 other garden vegetables.
Freshness and high quality produce are paramount to Coleen and Bob. Produce
is picked fresh daily throughout the growing season. Items which benefit
from cooling such as strawberries and raspberries are in coolers within 20
minutes of being picked. These items are sold directly from the coolers
whenever possible. The goal is that a given product be picked and sold that
same day to insure the freshness and quality our customers deserve.
Bob
and Coleen jointly manage the fruit and vegetable operation. Bob is
primarily involved in the day to day production practices while Coleen's
involvement centers around packaging, cooling and record keeping. They
share in sales responsibilities at the on-farm market as well as at the
farmers markets they attend.
River Front Berry Farm is open from May 1
through October 31. The hours are 8:00 A.M. ' 6:00 P.M. daily during these
months. It is impossible for us to be on premises at all times since we are
venders at two farmers markets and have other personal
responsibilities off the farm. This results in our using the "honor
system" in the on-farm market during those times when we are not at
the farm. Signage in the market instructs customers on self selection,
weighing and packaging of the produce. Then customers are instructed to
place payment of their purchase in the "MONEY" can and to record
their purchases on the form provided. We are very proud and honored to have
customers who seek out our quality produce and respect our situation enough
to honestly accommodate these conditions. This system has worked very
successfully since the origin of River Front Berry Farm. We regularly brag
about how our customers allow this system to work. They are truly wonderful
people.
Riverfront Berry Farm is a member of the North American Raspberry &
Blackberry Association (www.raspberryblackberry.com).
River
Front Berry Farm originated in 1994 after Bob and Coleen Blain retired as
educators in suburban 
Bob
and Coleen jointly manage the fruit and vegetable operation. Bob is
primarily involved in the day to day production practices while Coleen's
involvement centers around packaging, cooling and record keeping. They
share in sales responsibilities at the on-farm market as well as at the
farmers markets they attend.
River Front Berry Farm is open from May 1
through October 31. The hours are 8:00 A.M. ' 6:00 P.M. daily during these
months. It is impossible for us to be on premises at all times since we are
venders at two farmers markets and have other personal
responsibilities off the farm. This results in our using the "honor
system" in the on-farm market during those times when we are not at
the farm. Signage in the market instructs customers on self selection,
weighing and packaging of the produce. Then customers are instructed to
place payment of their purchase in the "MONEY" can and to record
their purchases on the form provided. We are very proud and honored to have
customers who seek out our quality produce and respect our situation enough
to honestly accommodate these conditions. This system has worked very
successfully since the origin of River Front Berry Farm. We regularly brag
about how our customers allow this system to work. They are truly wonderful
people.