OUR HISTORY

The Kroeker family farm has roots in the community dating back over 100 years. Abraham Kroeker and his bride Helena (Wiens) came to southern Manitoba as immigrants in 1876. It was on their homestead, where the town of Winkler is now located, that son Abram was born in 1892. Abram was a teacher for several years until joining his brother as a partner of a general store. At 36 years of age, Abram Kroeker and his wife Elizabeth (Nickel) decided that they wanted to raise their growing family, by this time consisting of four sons and two daughters, on a farm. He sold his share in the business and moved to a farm six miles south east of Winkler.

The farm consisted of 280 acres cultivated land and 80 acres of pasture and poplar bush. They named their new enterprise 'Poplar Grove Farm', and according to the letterhead, specialized in Yorkshire pigs and Latham raspberries.

Abram Kroeker faced many challenges throughout the course of his farming career. The Great Depression brought its plummeting farm prices, drought, thistles, wind and grasshoppers. In the face of this adversity Abram introduced corn to the Prairies which lead to growing and contracting seed corn, the construction of the first "corn-drying kiln" in Canada in 1936, and the formation of the A.A. Kroeker & Sons partnership. The business grew rapidly but in 1942 a severe August frost destroyed the corn crop and potatoes became a major emphasis for the Kroeker farm. The farming operation was incorporated in 1955 with A.A. Kroeker and his nine children as shareholders.

There are currently 140 shareholders in the Kroeker companies. Several senior employees are shareholders, while all other shareholders are children, grandchildren or great grandchildren of the founder, or their spouses. The board of directors consists of the president and 9 shareholders elected annually.