Climbing the organic apple ladder with Verger Maia.

Last week we hit the road to explore Verger Maia, our organic apple partner nestled in Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Quebec. For over eight years, we've had the privilege of working with this team led by Mario Cataphard, a family-oriented, multi-generational farmer who tackles every challenge that comes his way. This season, although off to a fairly normal start, has been hit with more rain than usual - bringing some unique (and muddy) challenges into the mix.

Join us as we uncover the magic of Verger Maia’s fresh-off-the-branch organic apples...

It all started back in the 90s, when Mario's grandfather and father started a small-scale farm. They grew strawberries, pumpkins, and tomatoes before passing it down to Mario's capable hands a decade later. Inspired by his daughter Maheva, he renamed the farm Verger Maia, turning it into an orchard.

Mario's decision to embrace organic farming wasn't driven by trends. It was fuelled by a deep-rooted desire to do what's right for his land and community. Verger Maia isn't a perfectly manicured orchard but rather a vibrant, buzzing space where they let nature take the lead with minimal interference. 

The warmer weather and rain have brought some complications this year, as apples do best in crisp, fall air. To protect his fruit, Mario's team must constantly spray the trees with organic fungicides - more than usual this season because the heavy rain washes away the protective coatings. Without the option to apply synthetic pesticides, harvesting becomes a race against time.

Mario is dedicated to providing Lufavores with the freshest possible fruit. Often, his team harvests the apples within a mere 24 hours before they get to your basket. He also stores part of his bounty in large fridges where they reduce the oxygen levels, keeping us stocked with fresh, local apples throughout the year.

He’s on a mission to minimize waste at every turn. Over the years, he’s fine-tuned his production process by sourcing state-of-the-art machinery from Quebec and Ontario. These machines meticulously sort and clean all the apples, with the less-than-perfect ones finding a new purpose in juice, and or even in our other partner Fleuri’s cider.

He's supplying us with all kinds of varieties including Lobo, Paula Red, Ginger Gold, McIntosh, Spartan, and Honeycrisp. They've even expanded their scope to include the organic blueberries with more exciting additions in the pipeline this year.