About Us

Polderside Farms Inc. was created by Jens-Hugo and Virginia Jacobsen in 2000. Jens, born in Aalesund Norway, always had a passion for eating home-grown food. Virginia was raised on a farm in Alberta and grew up knowing, ‘only’ home-grown food!! The partnership was sealed!!!

Jens and Virginia had 30 wonderful years of marriage and farming together.

We planted an organic apple orchard, built and grew greenhouse vegetables, always grew lamb, chickens, duck, pork and beef for our own consumption.

We saw, over time the changes in taste of food, particularly chicken. As industry tried to produce a chicken that matured in a faster time frame, with increased feed conversion, we noticed the chicken became less gam-y in taste, softer in texture. Remembering the multi-colored heritage chickens we grew at home on the farm as a child, Virginia started researching the heritage breeds available today, soon discovering the beautiful RedBro chicken that had been “saved” by Dr. Donald McQueen Shaver, Agricultural Department of Guelph University, Ontario.  This began the love relationship, in growing this hardy, tasty slow-growth chicken of the retail/restaurant markets of BC starting in 2003.

The first chefs in Vancouver to  Vancouver to embrace the taste of this “real” chicken, known in Europe, as the “Poulet du Bresse” were Chefs, David Hawksworth, Rob Feenie, Jeff Vangeest and Robert Belcham.  Chef Rob Feenie received the Golden Plate award by serving this wonderful chicken.  Polderside Farms ‘RedBro’ chicken is sold in over 45 of BC’s retail outlets and in over 65 restaurants in BC.