Changing Lives !

Elian's first chain up experience !

When Erika and I started Spirit View Ranch in Rycroft, Alberta back in 2003, it was just the two of us, a border collie, and 50 beef cows. Within six years, we had a family of six and a cow herd of over 300. Between the kids, the cows, and my agriculture consulting work, we needed extra help on the ranch. We found a solution by hiring well-trained and educated agriculture students from our native Switzerland. Over the years, we hosted many interns, and it was an incredible experience for them to come to Canada and experience a different way of Agriculture.

First ride in a small plane; Cessna 182 with pilot; Christoph Weder !

However, over time it became harder to find students who were adventurous enough to leave home and step outside their comfort zone. As Erika always says, “You never know what happens next.” During our travels in Costa Rica last year, we met some amazing guys who grew up on farms and had skills that we thought would work well on our ranch. It took a while, but we were able to get work visas for our “Tico Trio” – a two-year visa for Flavio and short-term seven-month visas for David and Elian. The infusion of the Costa Rican “Pura Vida” attitude from these three has been the perfect mix for our family, ranch, and packing plant team.

Adventures Galore! Oro & David 5600km Mega Tour !

It’s one thing to have Swiss interns from small farms come work on a big ranch, but it’s entirely different when you bring in three guys from the tropics who have never experienced temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius and have never seen or touched snow. Even getting to Canada was an adventure, as none of them had ever been on a plane! Every new experience was a joy to witness, as there are so many things we take for granted. What Erika and I appreciated most was their willingness to help, learn new things, and never complain about any task, no matter how mundane – a far cry from many young people here in Canada.

Toes in the water at Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Two weeks ago, Elian and David returned to Costa Rica after their seven-month adventure in Northern BC. This week, we visited Elian’s family farm and met some of his extended family. He grew up on the Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, and we were treated to incredible wildlife and scenery. As amazing as this was, what we cherished most was when Elian’s girlfriend; Tania told us that the experience on our ranch was life-changing for him. Life-changing, not because of the money he earned, but because of all the things he saw, did, learned, and the ideas he gained that he would never have experienced had he not taken the chance to go on this northern adventure. Our crew and our family became his extended family, and his experiences have set him on an entirely different path in life.

Erika and I are very proud of the high-quality meat we produce, but what gives us even more fulfillment is seeing the impact our ranch and team have on an individual’s life.