Langley blueberry farmer Gert Weller was preparing to write off much of his crop due to an early growing season and lack of pickers.
Then, his grandson Rob put the word out on social media and people started showing up.
Lots of people.
Thanks to the unseasonably warm and sunny weather that has meant the earliest start for the B.C. blueberry season in recent memory, the bushes at the Weller farm at 26097 84 Avenue were bowed down by the weight of unpicked berries earlier this week.
Finding the people to pick them, either through hiring pickers or allowing customers to pick their own, has been tough.
“It’s been a terrible year,” Weller told The Times during a Monday afternoon visit.
“We’ll lose tons, because they’re over-ripe and fall off.”
As Weller was walking through his 10-acre berry patch, he noticed that there seemed to be more people than usual picking berries.
Oddly, they seemed to recognize him.
A few insisted on having their picture taken with him, using their smart phones to record the moment.
Weller obliged, smiling.
As he did, he could see more and more people walking through the trees to his berries.
A temporary parking lot on his front lawn was filling up with dozens of vehicles.
Weller’s grandson Rob had posted a story online about the situation together with a photo of the 89-year-old Weller standing by the sign at the front gate of his farm.
By Monday, the story had migrated to WeChat, a Chinese-language mobile text and messaging service said to be the largest standalone messaging app by monthly active users.
It told readers how an “older gentleman” needed a hand getting his blueberries harvested and gave the price, location and hours of operation, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There are thousands of WeChat users in the Lower Mainland. That explained the sudden surge of customers, and the fact they all seemed to recognize Weller.
The result was one of the busiest days at the Weller farm that Jack Trudgian, a family friend who was helping with the customers, has seen.
“I don’t know what your grandson did, but it worked” Trudgian said to Weller.
“It’s incredible.”
Weller was pleased.
“I’m 40 years here, (operating this farm), and I’ve never had a day like today,” he said.
As the flood of customers continued, a beaming Weller greeted them in at the entrance to the berry patch, passing out buckets, collecting cash and posing for photos.