New match made in N.L. young farmers mentorship program
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by Matthew Carlson
Stephanie Lipp, an aspiring mushroom grower in Bonavista, N.L., is the newest mentee in the Newfoundland and Labrador Young Farmers Forum (NLYFF) mentorship pilot program. She has been matched with Krista Chatman of the Three Mile Ridge farm in Lethbridge as her mentor. Krista is no stranger to being a mentor, as she was matched with mentee Damian Oliver in 2019.
Stephanie was born and raised in Mississauga, Ont., and has a background in the arts, having studied photography at Sheridan College. She worked in the arts and tourism industries before settling on being a farmer. After Stephanie and her partner Leo Gillis moved to Bonavista in eastern Newfoundland in 2019, they founded Gillis Naturals, where Stephanie manages marketing, sales, and art direction.
Stephanie and Leo’s products include fresh gourmet mushrooms cultivated on their small Bonavista farm, locally foraged seasonal mushrooms, and even some fermented products. Their target markets include restaurants, home cooks, and specialty retailers.
Gillis Naturals has been under development for three years and was ramping up during the latter half of 2020. Last fall, Gillis Naturals was a regular vendor at the Farm and Market in Clarenville and will return for 2021. Stephanie and Leo plan to eventually make the farm a local employer and a tourist attraction.
Mentor Krista operates a more traditional farm with a focus on vegetable production. This may lead to readers thinking that there’s a mismatch in this mentorship pairing. But it is in areas outside of production where this mentorship will find its focus.
Stephanie is seeking assistance with matters such as navigating business development, undertaking construction, and securing financing. Much of this is fairly universal in farming and Krista has extra experience to draw on as manager of the Farm and Market in Clarenville, having overseen its construction.
A successful mentorship is expected to result in Stephanie getting her financing in place and construction beginning on her farm development and expansion. The mentorship is expected to last through the growing season.
Funding to carry out the mentorship pilot program is provided through the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture’s Young Farmers Initiative project, which is supported through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
(Matthew Carlson is the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture’s young farmers coordinator. He has been with the federation since 2007 and moved into his current position in 2015.)
