Over 120 years ago…
The Berg Family circa 1918 in the North Fork Valley: Charles, Fred, Elizabeth, Else, Agustine, Louise, Paul and Carl
Agustine and Carl Berg came to America from Germany with two young children, Elizabeth and Charles. They homesteaded on McClure Pass at the mouth of Lee Creek. After four years, they bought Bardine, which consisted of a post office, schoolhouse, sawmill and a house. Bardine was located about one mile above the present site of the Paonia Dam. In 1915 they bought Redmond Forks, which was later called the Forks, and is now known as Crystal Meadows. Grandfather Carl Berg built the brown house that is still standing by highway 133 at the Paonia Dam.
Fred and Else were born in Pennsylvania, Paul was born at Bardine, and Louise was born at Crystal Meadows. The children grew up with a great love of the valley and transferred that love to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Charlie, Fred, Else and Louise came back every summer, and if possible, would have remained here. Paul and Elizabeth remained in the valley.
Paul Berg purchased the Wade-Mathews house and orchards in 1943 where he farmed and cared for the land. We honor our dear ancestors and express our gratitude for their early settlement in this valley by naming our endeavor “Berg Harvest.”
Recent history
We are so fortunate to have some of the best staff helping us at the Mercantile!
The farm orchards underwent replantings in 2008 and 2010 with new Bing and Rainier cherry trees, as well as Glohaven and Cresthaven peach trees. The Honeycrisp apple block and the Bartlett and Bosc pear block remained viable and are producing beautiful fruit. Many improvements were made, such as installing a microjet irrigation system, building a new packing shed and pole barns, and renovating the Mercantile have been ongoing. We never seem to run out of projects!
The Berg Harvest Mercantile opened on July 1, 2016 to offer freshly made fudge, coffee, soft-serve ice cream, and of course our certified organic fruit. The demand for breakfast and lunch items has expanded our menu, and we strive to offer great food in a peaceful atmosphere that our customers will enjoy and keep them coming back for more!