The end of an era has come for Oliver’s Covert Farms Family Estates.
Effective today, the 65-year-old family-run winery will no longer be offering its beloved visitor experiences.
For decades, fourth-generation owners Shelly and Gene Covert have welcomed guests for wine tastings, animal experiences, pumpkin patch picking, and more.
On Thursday, Oct. 12, the family took to social media to make the announcement and address their future with friends, customers and the community.
”It has been one of our greatest joys and proudest achievements to work with, and welcome you to our fourth-generation, family-run farm for the last 65 years,” the post reads.
“Like so many other businesses, ours has been faced with significant challenges over the past several years. From COVID and wildfires to highway closures and rising costs, it has become clear that it is no longer economically viable to operate as we have been.”
The Coverts say they will continue to produce their regeneratively-made wines, which be can purchased online and found at restaurants and retailers across B.C. and parts of Canada.
They also add that they have begun to think about their succession plan and that their children have decided to not take over the winery business, thus the decision to scale back operations.
“This decision has not been an easy one, but it is one that is best for our family,” the post continues.
“We would like to acknowledge and thank our incredible staff, some of whom have worked with us for more than 20 years. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your passion, commitment and dedication.”
Visitors have enjoyed all the winery has to offer for decades.
The business was even recognized internationally for its estate, regeneratively-made wines at the eighth annual International Organic Wine Award in Germany in 2017 and 2018.
“It has been our privilege to welcome locals and visitors from near and far to Covert Farms Family Estate over the past many years and to share with you our love of regenerative farming and viticulture. We plan to continue our commitment to sustainability in hopes of leaving this world a better place than we found it. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support,” the Coverts’ post concludes.