Annelise Grube-Cavers is co-owner of Fresh Valley Farms in Armstrong, BC. This Certified Organic, regenerative livestock operation raises beef cattle, pigs, and chickens on more than 300 acres of pasture and forest. Her farming practices centre on soil health, rotational grazing, animal welfare, and building a strong and resilient local food system that serves households throughout the Okanagan Shuswap.
Annelise is a third-generation farmer. She joined Fresh Valley Farms full-time in 2015, bringing with her a deep background in food systems, planning, and community development. Before farming, she spent several years working in research and applied sustainability roles.
She served twice as a Research Associate with the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (2017–2018 and again in 2021–2022). Her work there included a study on institutional food procurement in the Okanagan Valley and contributing to the site development plan for the BX Ranchlands, a regional project that combined ecological conservation, food production for community use, and long-term farm tenure planning.
Earlier in her career, Annelise worked across many parts of the local food economy. She was the Saturday Market Manager for the Kamloops Regional Farmers’ Market Society (2014–2016), coordinating vendors, volunteers, and public programming. She worked seasonally as an Office Assistant and Sales Representative at Rancho Vignola (2015–2016), helping manage packing operations and traveling to events in BC and Alberta. She spent several years at Golden Ears Farm (2013–2016) as a co-op member and later as manager of the Golden Ears Fruitstand, where she oversaw staff, inventory, and community engagement.
Annelise holds a BA (Honours) in Urban Planning and an MSc in Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies from Concordia University. Her graduate research, supported by national awards including the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS and the Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement, examined the relationship between rapid transit development and gentrification using survival analysis modeling. She also studied sustainable transportation and environmental strategy at the University of Lund in Sweden and completed a research term in Bogotá, Colombia at the Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales.
Annelise does a great deal of the day-to-day labour of the farm, including feeding animals, collecting eggs, packing meat orders, and livestock care across the seasons. From moving birds and checking fences to loading freezers and preparing orders for pickup, she works alongside the rest of the farm team to keep operations running smoothly.
At Fresh Valley Farms, Annelise leads much of the communication, customer education, and marketing work. She writes the farm’s newsletters, coordinates the meat box subscription program, manages online store communications, and supports the farm’s shift into on-farm agritourism and educational outreach. She is committed to transparency, clear storytelling, and helping customers understand the impact of choosing pasture-raised, organic meat from a regenerative farm.
Alongside her partner Steve, Annelise is also active in sector advocacy. She has contributed to agricultural policy discussions, supported regional food-systems research, and served as a representative on committees that focus on ecological farming and local food resilience. She currently serves on the board of the BC Agriculture Council as Director-at-Large Representing Organics. Annelise is also the 2026 President of the Board of Directors of the North Okanagan Organic Association.
Annelise and Steve are raising their two young children on the farm, who represent the fifth generation on the land first purchased by the Meggait family in 1923. Her work blends daily farm tasks with long-term thinking: building a food system that is environmentally sound, economically viable, and rooted in community for the generations ahead.