We are filled with sadness but our hearts are glad that Ineke Booij finally received her release on April 28th, 2022 and is now free. To see such a unique, bright and strong spirit trapped in a mind that decayed over the last 10+ years was heart breaking. It was amazing to see her muscle memory remained stronger than her capacity for words. Even when she couldn’t formulate complete sentences anymore she could bike and let go of the handle bars and spread her arms wide while peddling happily away. She was born Klasina Froukje Booij the 4th of seven children to Karsje and Egbert Booij in the Netherlands in 1953. She grew up on a farm with a wild spirit yearning for adventure. During her time at nursing school she met Martin de Groot, and their 47+ years of adventure started. They married and had Elske the following year. Shortly after they left to go work on a government agriculture project in Yemen, which was an adventure indeed. Stories of being ready to flee because the civil war was drawing closer and that gunshots could be heard in the distance were repeated over the next decades. There were also stories of being able to experience the Yemenis culture from the secluded inner sanctums of the women’s parts of the homes. The biggest adventure while there was giving birth to Anne Kirsten Arwa in the capital of Jibla, at an American hospital, 4 hours drive from where they lived. This necessitated more than a weeks stay in Jibla to ensure all went well. Surrounded by friends also working on the government project they spend the next year happily in Yemen. At the end of the project they returned to the Netherlands to plan their future. They knew they wanted to farm but where? They were considering France when Ineke’s parents, who had emigrated to Canada, said why don’t you come here and see if you’d like take over this farm? The rest was history. The Canadian adventure started in October of 1980. Welcome to Canadian winters! The first few years were an adjustment. Being responsible for making what was initially a rudimentary farm thrive during record high interest rates created a lot of pressure. There was some talk about possibly returning to the Netherlands but in the end the decision to stay won out. The dream of having a large pioneering family continued with the birth of Egbert and two years later Norman. Ineke’s days were filled to the brim with raising 4 children, driving them to music classes and ballet, working on the farm, cooking and cleaning for the whole family as well as for the many interns that would come to work on the farm. Never one to keep things simple and easy she also planted an enormous garden and preserved many months’ worth of vegetables and fruits. She was very much ahead of her time in environmentalism and conservation. Before organic was a household word she was already following the principles of living organically. Nothing was ever wasted. From these roots of quality food and conservationism the direction of how they farmed also changed. The process to become certified organic began. Once the children started to become self-sufficient, volunteering within the farming community became an added focus. Eventually she started working as the dairy pool manager for OntarBio Organic Farmers’ Cooperative. There she was part of the team that launched the Organic Meadow line of organic dairy products. At the end of the 90s Ineke saw a product niche that could be filled and the dream of organic ice cream produced right on the farm started. She educated herself in the art of ice cream production by completing the ice cream production course at the University of Guelph and then she was off. She travelled to Europe to see how other artisan ice cream producers were being successful and started to plan and order equipment to build Mapleton’s Organic Dairy. There was so much to do and she thrived. Market research, packaging development, marketing, logistics, sourcing organic ingredients, complying with federal, provincial and municipal regulations as well as the organic certification standards, recipe development, getting the Ontario Milk Board to change its rules to allow the milk from the farm to be used right at the farm and most importantly being the face of Mapleton’s Organic and making connections throughout Canada to spread the story of Mapleton’s, Small is Beautiful. Mapleton’s sold its ice cream and yogurt right across Canada at numerous health food stores as well as national grocery chains. Ineke’s legacy to the organic farming community and women farmers is Mapleton’s Organic. It’s a testament to perseverance and trail blazing. It might be hard for us to imagine now but the idea of a woman farmer and a female agriculture business owner was a difficult concept for many to imagine at the time in rural Ontario. We are sure her story will become a legend within the family through the re-telling by her grandchildren, Sidney, Hayden and Acker. Ineke was an eccentric, vibrant woman whose spirit burned bright. May she be soaring high with her arms spread wide peddling away. There will be a celebration of life on June 25th, 2022 at Mapleton’s Organic. Details to follow.
