By Luke Edwards
Every now and then - often in the midst of a busy day of tending to the gardens, looking after the animals and keeping tabs on their agri-tourism business - Assyl Carlton forgets how lucky she is. Fortunately, the Wellandport farm usually has a visitor or two there to remind her.
Carlton, who alongside her husband Michael bought what has become Riverside Oasis five years ago, is grateful for the regular reminders. Since neither had any farming experience when they bought the place, the past five years have been a whirlwind. And when someone staying on one of their three Mongolian yurts remarks at how peaceful and beautiful life on the farm is, it gives Assyl a chance to truly appreciate it.
“You forget to see the beauty sometimes,” she said on a recent fall day on the laneway that takes visitors to and from the yurts, passing happy alpacas and curious goats.
The Carltons run Riverside Oasis, and earlier this fall received recognition at the West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce business awards, where they won the sustainability award. Carlton said they were pleasantly surprised to receive the honour.
“It was very unexpected,” she said. Since they are relatively new to the area and located on the outskirts of town, Carlton said up until this point they’ve mostly just kept to themselves.
“This was the first time we really felt we were part of this community,” she said.
It was quite a route that led the Carltons to Wellandport. Assyl’s originally from Kazakhstan, while Michael’s English. They moved here five years ago after spending some time in the Middle East, where Assyl found it difficult to get a job.
Michael’s sister moved to Ontario and on visits the couple got to see what the province has to offer. They eventually followed, living in Hamilton for a while before buying the Wellandport farm in 2019.
They were looking to get away from urban life and began searching for opportunities in Niagara. They considered opening a winery but eventually settled on a more traditional farm setting.
“The more we looked into it the more excited we got, about the idea of growing your own food,” she said.
Michael, with some hired help, looks after much of the farming aspect, while Assyl - a people person - handles the business and yurt-rental parts.
“We do farm tours as well, where people can come see the animals, spend some time, learn about the animals and farming in general,” she said.
Bringing in the yurts was a nod to Assyl’s heritage. In Kazakhstan the yurt remains an important cultural symbol and they were fortunate enough to find a Canadian company that imports the structures from Mongolia.
After moving here in 2019, the couple spent a large chunk of time renovating. Then COVID-19 hit right as their business was getting started.
It actually turned out to be a benefit, since people were so limited in what they could do, and the yurt stays fit in with distancing protocols.
They also benefited from a well-timed article in the popular cultural website BlogTO, which published a feature story on Riverside Oasis.
“Once they posted (the story)…we woke up to like 500 emails,” Carlton recalled.
That momentum carried them through the pandemic. Things tapered off a bit when rules were loosened, however the yurt business has remained popular. They rent them out year round. In the summer they’ll commonly get families renting out a yurt for their summer outing. Carlton said it’s a popular option for multiple families who are friends to get together.
In the fall through spring, the yurts are commonly rented out by couples looking for a romantic getaway.
Requiring no tools to install, the yurts have a lattice and beam frame that’s covered by felt made from sheep’s wool that keeps the warmth in during winter and the heat out in the summer. A wood stove also helps warm the yurts.
This fall the Carltons have been working to install new upgraded washroom facilities. Assyl also got into flower production as a fun way to make some extra money, and the alpacas and goats share the property with a couple cows, and some chickens.
For more information visit riversideoasisfarm.ca.
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