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Stella Schmidt
Was raised in Calgary Alberta and area and developed a love for animals and the open country at the acreage near Chestermere Alberta. On that acreage her father bred, (mostly Labradors and Brittany Spaniels) showed, and trained, boarded and field-trialed dogs. Stella’s father is Danish and Stella went many times to Denmark to live with her Sister (for months at a time) on a family farm which consisted of pig farming and lovely fruit gardens. Stella became infatuated with the farm lifestyle and it became a dream to own and live on one of her own. But life in Calgary was somewhat different and a career in Bookkeeping was launched. Attending accounting courses and working in financial positions and then starting her own consulting business. Stella’s love of wine came at a relatively early age and she has attended all the wine festivals, wine tastings and anything involving wine and wine knowledge in the Calgary area that she could, for many years.
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Bruno Kelle
Bruno’s family was involved in the Tobacco industry in SW Ontario from 1960 until 1990. Having been raised on a tobacco farm in Tillsonburg Ontario, he developed his love of the land and farming. Bruno went to college and obtained a technical degree, but soon found the he had a great skill in Sales and Marketing and followed that livelihood in the manufacturing sector as his family maintained the farming business. As the Tobacco Market started to decline in the 1980’s, he developed a plan to diversify the family tobacco farm into culinary herbs, both fresh-cut and potted. His father, Bruno Sr., liked the idea and gave Bruno the go ahead to do so. And so “Country Herbs” was born. It took off and for 10 years Bruno’s family ran it successfully. When it was time to retire, Bruno Sr. asked Bruno to take over the business but by then Bruno had a very successful career in Sales and Marketing in Calgary AB. The business was sold and it still runs successfully today, at the same location near Tillsonburg. When Bruno relocated to Calgary in 1996, he had quite a time adjusting to the long winters! As time rolled on, Bruno’s love of the land and farming lifestyle frequently came to his mind and on many trips to the Okanagan Valley he fell in love with the land, area and weather! He made up his mind that ‘someday’ he would buy a piece of property out there and get back to his roots. Originally the idea was to start up another Herb business in the Okanagan. |
