Fiesta Greenhouses Campbell River Area, B.C.

Max & Karen Grober

The Story of the Grobers and Fiesta Greenhouses is quite an interesting one. Max Grober grew up on a dairy farm in Chilliwack. You would think that at 17 years old his decision of apprenticing in a garden nursery wouldn’t be too far from the water trough, so to speak, but it didn’t last long for Max. By 19 years of age, Max was lured into the Logging industry. For 20 years Max fell timber, and ran his own logging company.

He met his lovely wife and partner Karen Grober, a cook, in one of the logging camps. They started a family and moved to a tranquil 12 acre property near Campbell River. With Karen’s collaboration and her brother’s knowledge of greenhouse growing, Fiesta Greenhouse became a reality in 1999.

What started out as a half acre venture has now become a state of the art growing facility of 1 ½ acres. Their pesticide free, hydroponically grown peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers are enjoyed by the local communities of Campbell River, Courtenay and Comox. We are thrilled to have 2 of the most enthusiastic and devoted growers on our team at Vancouver Island Produce!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

8-10 Large red peppers 2 Cups chicken broth
3-4 Cloves minced garlic 1 Cup water
1 Very large onion, diced Dash of sherry
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger Yogurt or sourcream
2Tbsp Olive oil Chopped chives or fresh basil

Roast peppers and remove seeds and skins.
Sautee garlic, onions and ginger in a little olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Cut peppers in chunks and place in a blender in batches. Then add the cooked onion, garlic and ginger with enough chicken broth and water so that the mixture purees easily.
Refrigerate until serving time, then season with a little sherry, salt and pepper and heat. This soup can be served chilled as well. Garnish with a spiral of yogurt or sourcream and chives and basil. The effect is stunning. Great with good crusty bread, wine and a crisp mixed green salad. It’s one of those dishes that carries the message “Life is good. Let’s enjoy!!”