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Hofstede’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetables first began
a few years after Roelof and Doutzen Hofstede moved to Chilliwack from The Netherlands,
with their two children John (12) and Tera (9) in 1981. Roelof and Doutzen first
started selling Okanagan fruit at the outdoor Chilliwack market in 1985, the same
year their youngest daughter Lisa was born. They spend their weeks at “the Fruit
Shuttle” in Keremeos picking fruit and their weekends driving out to Chilliwack
with a truck full of great quality fruit to sell at the Chilliwack market. From
then on they grew, selling product straight from many orchards in the Okanagan.
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From 1985-1998 the family’s mobile produce stand traveled to Hope, Sardis, Chilliwack
and Merritt, building up loyal customers who grew to love their high standards of
fresh fruit and personal service. They grew from a small table out of a pickup truck,
increasing over the years to a 60’ steel mobile unit designed by Roelof Hofstede
specifically for his market stand.
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In March 1997, Roelof and Doutzen opened their dream store with their son John,
and son-in-law Richard Procee, on Luckakuck way calling it Hofstede’s Country Barn.
The European style store not only focuses on Fruit and Vegetables but also has many
other departments. Their coffee shop offers customers a place sit for coffee and
dessert or a delicious homemade lunch of soups, sandwiches, salads and much more.
Hofstede’s Coffee shop, originally intended by Roelof Hofstede to be a social place
to take a break from shopping is now a hot destination for a quick lunch. Hofstede’s
Country Barn also has a large selection of deli meats, a bakery, dairy, and a large
grocery department, including many international items. The whole family worked
in a united effort to serve the customer the best way possible. |
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After Roelof Hofstede passed away in November 1998 his wife, children and grandchildren
have worked hard keeping his dream alive. The business is still family owned and
run by family, Richard and Tera with their six children (Lucas, Dawson, Katie, Natasha,
Seth and Owen) along with Doutzen and Lisa are still with the store. During the
fresh fruit season, Richard travels back and forth to the Okanagan to various farms
to select the best quality produce for our store, giving our customers the freshest
and largest selection possible to choose from. |
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Although a lot of things have changed in our business over the years, the standards
set by Roelof over 20 years ago still remain today.
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