Collage showing Delaney and Alisha the owners of Ice Cap Organics standing in their vegetable fields in Pemberton BC, surrounded by images of cherry tomatoes, the Pemberton Valley, farm fields, beets and fresh vegetables, with text reading The Ice Cap Organics Story

We are passionate about growing great food and doing it in harmony with the natural world around us.

We are Certified Organic by PACS 16-413, which means we don’t use any chemicals whatsoever, we use no GMO’s and we keep detailed records of all of our inputs and practices. We are inspected on a regular basis by a certifying body and we believe anyone calling themselves organic should get certified. To keep our soil healthy and fertile we use cover crops, crop rotation and rich organic compost and certified organic amendments. We keep pests at bay by planting a broad diversity of plants in accordance to a strict crop rotation as well as catch crops and companion planting. We also use row cover to keep insects off tender plants and we use organic natural repellents when they are effective.

We know that farming this way keeps the soil healthy and productive so we can keep growing on our land for generations to come, but we also know that our farming practices are good for our ecosystem, and we see a lot of natural diversity right on our farm. We see bees buzzing around all season, birds make nests and lay eggs right in our crop rows, and we regularly see frogs and snakes in our fields. Because we don’t use chemical fertilizers or chemical herbicides and pesticides we are not polluting the watershed or local rivers and creek. We value the local watershed as it is our source of irrigation and drinking water, so we take good care of it. Our irrigation pulls from the immense aquifer situated underneath the Pemberton Meadows so our irrigation practices make a infite loop–we pull water from the ground, put it back on the surface, the plants take what they need and the rest filters back into the aquifer.

Meet The Farmers

Alisha holding freshly picked organic strawberries in the strawberry field at Ice Cap Organics farm in Pemberton BC with mountains in the background

Alisha Zayac

Owner

Alisha was born and raised in Vancouver but spent a lot of time at her family's rustic cabin in Rock Creek with no running water and electricity. She treeplanted and ran treeplanting crews in her 20's for 9 years while travelling and going to University in the off season. She graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Agroecology from UBC. After meeting Delaney treeplanting they formulated their ideal life together which they started in Pemberton BC in 2008. Alisha was lucky to work for the Helmer's Farm her first summer in Pemberton. She learned various skills and made many important connections through them. Alisha has been a director on the Pemberton Farmer's Institute and a member of the Agriculture Advisory Committee since 2009 and has tried to be involved in Agricultural community in Pemberton as much as possible. Since starting a family in 2010, she has put the AAC aside until she is able to find more time. For now, raising future farmers and growing healthy sustainable food for her community has been more than fulfilling. In the winter she works for Whistler Adaptive Ski and Ride as a ski instructor. Other than farming, ski instructing, and being a mother, daughter, sister, friend and wife, Alisha loves being in the mountains hiking, camping, mountain biking, skiing, and reading.

Child smiling and holding a rake in the onion field at Ice Cap Organics certified organic farm in Pemberton BC

Ira Zayac

Farmhand

Ira is 15 and he is very balanced, focused and hard working. He loves skiing, and mountain biking, projects ad solving problems. His favourite jobs on the farm are driving the tractor, fixing equipment, transplanting in the greenhouse and harvesting. He is thinking about Millwright, Electrician, or Engineering as possibilities after Secondary school.

Delaney holding freshly harvested organic lettuce heads in the vegetable fields at Ice Cap Organics farm in Pemberton BC with mountains in the background

Delaney Zayac

Owner

Delaney's parents loved to garden and earned a living from farming for a good part Delaney's upbringing. Farming was in his blood, but not vegetable farming exactly. After spending over a decade planting trees and managing planting crews and planting camps he decided he needed to grow some roots in a community and settle down a bit. During his twenties and some of his thirties Delaney also got a degree at UBC in English and became passionately obsessed with skiing and mountaineering and capturing his adventures in photographs. Having spent many years exploring and skiing the mountains around Pemberton, and seeing the lush fertility of the Pemberton Meadows soil, the warm summers and the proximity to the hungry market of Vancouver, Delaney decided to make Pemberton his long term home. Delaney has always wanted to find a career that allows him to play in the mountains, but his career also has to give him a meaningful connection to his community and he needs to feel like he is having a positive impact. Through growing healthy food in harmony with the natural world Delaney has found his path.

Child holding a large bouquet of fresh sunflowers in front of vegetable crop rows at Ice Cap Organics farm in Pemberton BC

Annika Zayac

Farmhand and Morale Booster

Annika is 13 and she loves interacting with people, she is very social and bright. She loves skiing, biking, swimming and spending time with friends and family. Annika's favourite jobs on the farm are harvesting flowers, strawberries, potatoes and tomatoes. She wants to be a lawyer.