‘We personally just don’t want to be involved anymore, but, for the right person, it could still be an ongoing operation,’ says owner
A Cochrane-area farm is closing after 16 years of operation.
Situated about 20 minutes north of the Town of Cochrane, Greg and Aileen Hessels’ Farm, a meat wholesaler, was established in 2009. The husband and wife duo sell beef, chicken and fresh farm eggs.
The 776-acre property, located at 4045 579 Highway in Cochrane, hit the market on Tuesday (Feb. 6) and is listed for $1.7 million.
While Greg hopes to sell the property to someone who wants to continue and expand the business’s operations, he said whoever purchases it might have a different vision.
“It’s not just a piece of vacant land. There’s major investment in infrastructure here that is still usable and ongoing. We personally just don’t want to be involved anymore, but, for the right person, it could still be an ongoing operation,” he said.
“It all depends on what form or shape the person that’s interested in coming on this property will do with it. They might have a totally different vision of things.”
The couple took to the business’s Facebook page on Monday (Feb. 5) to share the news of its closure. The post received hundreds of reactions, shares and comments with people expressing mixed emotions. However, most of them ultimately wished Greg and Aileen all the best with their next chapter.
“For everything there is a season, and this chapter of our lives is closing. What an adventure this has been, taking a vacant farm and bringing it back to life. But, it is time for us to move on to new adventures,” they wrote in their post.
“We have been so honoured to provide our products to so many families and businesses in our community and surrounding.”
Once the property sells, Greg said he’ll miss the land and the animals most.
“It’s been a great challenge to work alongside the kids and my wife and build things up… Build something together,” he said.
The family is extremely grateful for the ongoing support they have received from their customers over the years.
“We always have had great interaction with customers and they’ve always been very supportive in what we’re doing. We have a very a large customer base and we connect with a lot of people across a lot of different backgrounds. It’s just time for us to move to new challenges,” he said.
Until the farm is sold, Greg said they will continue to sell their products.