Our Farm Production Process
The farm and production process of raspberry products at Chad’s Raspberry Kitchen involves great attention to detail because raspberries are considered a high-stake crop. Raspberries can be difficult to harvest and need a plentiful water source to survive.
From Raspberry Fields to Farming
Chad's started as a raspberry jam company and we continue that great tradition with an array of raspberry products available including, but not limited to syrups, vinaigrettes, and salsa. A real raspberry product producer knows that quality starts at the plant. In early April of each year, we prune our patch in a process called "caning."
Caning is the process of removing the dead plants that produced the previous year. We do this because certain varieties of raspberries grow in 2 phases. The first phase of raspberry farming is the plant growing to maturity. This takes 1 year. The plant does not blossom during this phase. During the second year/phase is when the plants will grow blossoms, produce fruit, and die. This cyclical process repeats annually.
After caning, we plow between the rows to eliminate weeds and control the growth of the plants. We apply water and plant food to ensure healthy growth in our high elevation climate of Bear Lake. During the next 2-3 months, there is just casual work done to maintain the plants. Around the first part of July, blossoms appear and we know harvest is only weeks away. After 3-4 weeks we start picking 3-4 times per week with our harvester (see videos below).
Bear Lake Raspberry Farming
Bear Lake raspberries are harvested, we clean, process, and freeze the berries to stabilize the acids in them for our jam and other products. As we produce our raspberry products all year, we thaw and cook the berries into our products.
The process is not over, however. We still have to label, bottle, and distribute our Bear Lake raspberry products. This is all done by hand as we want our products to be as gourmet as possible. We would love to tell you more about how we make our products, but let's just say our recipes are the secret to our success. We invite you to experience the difference of Chad's Raspberry Kitchen.
Trust us, you will want more than one bottle!
Farm Videos
Learn about our family history of raspberry farming and natural production process in the videos below.