From the ground up

Young greenhouse entrepreneur learns as he goes

Creating and maintaining a perfect growing environment for a crop of 14,000 peppers is a rewarding challenge for a young entrepreneur in this diverse agricultural community southeast of Calgary.

"A greenhouse is a brand new idea for us. It is a brand new learning experience," says Peter Dyck, 23, whose family moved to southeastern Alberta from the Manitoba Colony near Cuauhtemoc, Mexico, in 1993, when he was nine years old. Nine years later, at the age of 18, he became manager of a new family business venture, Prairie Oasis Farms, which grows peppers in a 4,000-square-metre hydroponics greenhouse that are then packed and distributed by a co-op in nearby Redcliff, Alta.

"You just learn as you go," he says. "You have to be willing to try new ideas. You do a lot of reading and research. You meet with consultants and go to conferences and meetings to be with other people who understand the business."

His parents, Abe and Tina Dyck, and their six children moved to Canada 15 years ago following a prolonged drought in northern Mexico, where they were farming. "We had to go somewhere else to make a living," says Abe. "We have no education, but we have knowledge of farming." After working for another farmer for five years, Abe purchased land near Bow Island, an agricultural service centre of just under 2,000 people.

In the past 15 years more than 10,000 Mennonites from Latin and South America have moved to Alberta, according to Ruben Bueckert, manager of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) services for Low German Mennonites in the province. They are descendants of the Canadian Mennonites who moved to Latin America in the 1920s and '40s. Many have returned to Canada for reasons of poverty in Latin and South America.

The Dyck family exemplifies the innovative entrepreneurial spirit that Mennonites from South and Latin America bring to Canada, Bueckert says, noting, "They see an opportunity and make things happen."

When they first arrive in Alberta, many take advantage of settlement and support services available at the MCC resource centre that recently moved to Taber from Lethbridge. "We play a very small role in their resettlement, but it is significant," says Bueckert, noting the MCC centre provides information; referrals and support on issues related to housing; public education for children; English language classes; training and adult education programs; employment services; health services; and such government services as helping people get their social insurance numbers, driver's licences and family allowances.

Peter wants to follow the example set by his parents and develop a business that will be a "Christian light in the community." His goal is to provide a good work environment for employees and to use the business as a means to provide financial support to church ministries in Canada and other countries.

He also wants to follow the example set by his parents to support MCC. His parents are avid supporters of the Mennonite Treffen, a gathering of newcomers hosted by MCC, as well as other projects. Bueckert notes that many of the people using the services of the MCC centre support other MCC ventures in their communities, including donating time and resources to support thrift shops and relief sales, and to sit on advisory boards.

[Author Affiliation]

BY GLADYS TERICHOW

Mennonite Central Committee

BOW ISLAND, ALTA.