If you have received a box of organic fruit at your door recently, you have newcomer to Squamish Felipe Hidalgo to thank.
His company, Farmers on Duty — an organic produce delivery service — is aiming to give a free box of fruit to every household in Squamish as a promotion. Last weekend the boxes were dropped at the Squamish Food Bank and at 500 homes.
Hidalgo, his partner Daniela Weldt and their six children — Julian, 14, Emilio 10, Diego, 8; Pedro 6; Raimundo, 5; and Ignacia, 2 — have recently moved to Squamish from Los Ángeles, Chile.
When they arrived in February, they thought they would stay five months, but ended up moving here permanently.
His business, which he co-owns with his wife — now has an office in Squamish on Queensway.
He is also the director of an export fruit company that has an office in Vancouver, which they opened two years ago.
For the family, the pandemic has meant good things as well as the challenges everyone is facing.
With the export company, Hidalgo used to travel at least five times a year to China, Europe and other locations. "But the coronavirus stopped that and that is a very beautiful thing," he said.
It forced the family to re-evaluate the way things were being done at home and with work and to make different choices.
"Squamish is the perfect town of the world,' he said, when asked why he chose to move to Squamish.
"Squamish is the new Silicon Valley," he added.
For his business, the lifestyle and attitude of people here are positive, he said, calling the heart of the people in the corridor "green."
"In Chile or China it is all plastic," he said, adding locals here appreciate organic goods.
When he came here he found the price of organic produce shockingly high compared to in his homeland, however, which is another plus for his business.
Valuing organic is a family tradition.
Hidalgo's grandfather started an organic production in Chile 60 years ago. He had moved to Switzerland for two years "to become a master of soils."
At a farmers' market there, he saw a woman who was choosing only "the ugly fruit."
This puzzled Hidalgo senior so he asked the woman why she was doing that.
The woman said that the ugly fruit was healthier — without chemical residue.
"So my grandfather started with organic apples and asparagus," said Hidalgo.
The tradition continues through both sides of his family.
His wife, Weldt, is an agronomist — a scientist who specializes in crop production — and her father runs an organic farm.
There are two big problems in the world right now, Hidalgo said, pollution of the planet and of people's health.
His companies recently stopped using plastics for their packaging. The fruit comes in a cardboard box instead.
As for his children, they are loving the corridor so far.
They aren't in school here yet, but will be next year.
The children have loved riding at the Whistler bike park and recently took to the hills for some snow sports, which they enjoyed. "They are very advanced in discipline, in outdoor activities, in eating healthy food. So the situation for my kids is very nice here," he said.
The kids are learning English, so the bike park has been a good way to make friends who have a shared interest, he added.
Of course, there are things the family misses about Chile.
Like for many, finding appropriate housing for the large family in the Sea to Sky Corridor has been more of a challenge.
They have rented three houses so far.
The first house was in Valleycliffe, then they moved to Whistler for three months. Finally, in September, they garnered a long-term rental in the Garibaldi Highlands.
In Chile, finding affordable housing is not as much of a challenge.
Squamish also doesn't have some dishes and items the family is used to eating, such as Quesillo, which is a fresh cheese dish common in Chile.
There is far more seafood available and common in the diet there as well, he said, and families typically only have processed foods like burgers and pizza on weekends, while during the week it’s all fresh food.
He hopes to change at least the local produce intake with his new Squamish venture, he said.
Go to Farmers On Duty on Facebook, or www.farmersonduty.com for more information about the company.
