February 2009

The question I’ve been asked many times over the past 18 years is, “Why did you name your business Winter Wheat?”

Our name “Winter Wheat” was created out of some very humbling and frightening experiences and holds a special meaning. Since it seems a lot of folks are being hit by hard economic times, I would like to share my story of Winter Wheat with you as a source of encouragement.

I hope it reminds us all that good things can come out of even the worst situations. Sometimes all you need is a little hope and faith.

Our Story

How Winter Wheat got its name

You may recall that back in 1990 and 1991 a recession was looming. Many of us were seeing large and small businesses close or declare bankruptcy.

At the time, my partner Mike and I were manufacturers of a hand crafted line of country folk art products. We sold our product to several stores across Canada and the USA.

But, many of our retailer customers were cutting back on purchases or closing up shop.

We started feeling the affects and began to realize that our business was not immune to the fall out of the economy.

In March 1991 Mike filed for bankruptcy.

As a result of our bankruptcy all the material things we owned were gone.

This was a very frightening and humbling experience.

But the one thing I learned from this experience is that, the sun still rises in the morning and sets at night. We had a choice each day. We could be paralyzed by what had happened or, we could learn from this life lesson and move on with our lives.

Both Mike and I began to value the fact that we still had our creative spirit, plus all the business knowledge we had acquired over previous years.

We decided to move from our home into a rented farm house and try to start a new business from scratch.

I had a difficult time coming up with a name for our business. So in the late spring of 1991 I decided to go for a walk through the wheat field behind our rented home. I kept thinking what should we name our business?

And then as I gazed across the field it came to me!

Our new business would be like “Winter Wheat”. It is planted in the late fall, the freezing cold winter dumps piles of snow on it and yet in the spring it comes up strong and bountiful.

In my heart I felt that Mike and I could plant our seeds of creativity and rise up from the ashes of bankruptcy just like Winter Wheat.

In August 1991 with the help of some friends, we started developing a wooden line of birdhouses, planters and mailboxes. We built a trade show booth and with our new handcrafted products we registered in the 1991 Fall Toronto Gift Show.

We had a very small product line so to showcase it and to attract attention I painted a large farm scene around the entire booth.

There were over 800 exhibitors participating in the Fall Gift Show.

During the show many of our previous customers once again placed orders with us. We will always be thankful to them for their support during that time.

To our surprise and delight our small booth won best small display booth at the show. Yet, only two weeks before the show we didn’t even have a booth!

The success we felt at the Toronto show boosted our spirits and gave us hope. Something good could happen as a result of our struggles.

It is my hope that by sharing our story those who are facing financial challenges now will take heart and have faith that something good can come out of trying experiences.

With a little enthusiasm and a positive attitude we can see what our talents are and find opportunity where others may see nothing.

Lucy Ogletree is a folk artist living in Southern Ontario. She inspires people through her folk art and gardens at Winter Wheat.