A DEDICATED TEAM

Shelly Covert, Proprietor / Events Director

Shelly Covert graduated from the University of Alberta with a BEd in Elementary Education. She is also a holistic Nutritionist with a diploma from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. Shelly has 20 years of experience co managing the family 650 acre mixed organic farm with her husband Gene. They were awarded the Outstanding Young Farmer Award BC/Yukon 2010.

Shelly has hosted a number of school tours and farm camps over the past 20 years. She is passionate about organic farming, sustainability and teaching anyone who will listen how to eat a healthy diet consuming food as close to its natural state as possible.

Shelly has hosted and directed a number of events on Covert Farms over the past 20 years including: The Festival of the Tomato which ran from 2001-2011 hosting over 2000 people. She and Gene co-host and organize The Freak’n Farmer Adventure Race with Hoodoo adventures. She has hosted a Yoga Festival, Fall Family Trail Runs, and a number of weddings and special events.

Shelly Covert can be contacted at shelly.covert@covertfarms.ca.

Gene Covert, Proprietor / Winemaker

A native of Oliver, BC with a BSc in Physical Geography from UBC, Gene has over 28 years experience managing the family’s 650 acre mixed organic farm and 16 years as winery owner with his wife Shelly. Together, they were awarded the Outstanding Young Farmer award BC/Yukon 2010.

A volunteer board member of the Oliver Osoyoos Winery Association, past board member of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism association (6yrs) and past Vice President of the Apex Freestyle Club (3yrs). Past board member of the Oliver Economic Development Society (4yrs).

A student of ecosystem complexity and a natural engineer. Always curious and frequently humbled by single celled organisms.

Gene Covert can be contacted at gene@covertfarms.ca.

Ed Schmalz-bauer, Field Manager, Tour Guide and Cover Crop Expert

Ed first came to the Valley and started working for Covert Farms in 2006, and with him came an expertise and appreciation for regenerative farming that was such a welcome addition to the Covert family.

Growing up in Saskatchewan, Ed came from generations of farmers on both sides of his family. His grandparents, who were farmers in Europe, were ahead of their time, and recognized the negative impacts of heavy machinery and use of commercial fertilizers and herbicides. This led them to become early adopters of proper soil management and regenerative farming practices, and passed this knowledge onto Ed at a young age.

Ed’s enthusiasm and passion for cover crops is like no other, and he’s always there to offer a helping hand. We are so lucky to have Ed on our team, and hope you’ll be lucky enough to join one of his farm tours one day!

Melanie Novak, Culinary Gardener and Groundskeeper

Melanie first came to our farm in 1991, and shares “this piece of land holds a little magic that always makes me feel like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.” In 2000, she attended organic gardening and farming school on Cortes Island, and by the time she returned back we had made the move to organic farming and winemaking.

We love her positive attitude, upbeat demeanour and all of the tender loving care she gives to our gardens and crops. Her current go-to wine? The 2019 Certified Organic Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, which she loves pairing with goat cheese phyllo bundles with roasted red peppers and caramelized onions.

Zola Doré, Wine Club & Wine Lounge Manager

Zola Doré is no stranger to farming, having grown up on a 10-acre hobby farm in South Surrey, BC, where she learned how to milk cows, and grow and harvest her own food. 

Zola first started in the hospitality industry in 1985, where she worked alongside her uncle at a coffee roastery on Granville Island. She later opened her own roastery in 1995 in Whitehorse, where she proudly developed a community-forward atmosphere dedicated to sponsoring and hosting local artist events.

In 2010, Zola relocated to the Okanagan Valley to be closer to her family, and was quickly drawn to the burgeoning wine industry. After completing a Winery Assistant Certificate at Okanagan College and achieving WSET Level 3 with Distinction, she set her sights on gaining first-hand industry experience. Here, she spent four years working at Tinhorn Creek, where she began as wine associate and eventually climbed the ranks to supervisor, cellar assistant and wineshop manager. She then worked at various acclaimed Okanagan wineries, including Okanagan Crush Pad as guest experience and wine club manager, followed by Mayhem Wines in a guest services role. 

Zola was thrilled to return to her farming roots to take on the position of Wine Club and Wine Lounge Manager at Covert Farms. She looks forward to building upon our farm’s reputation as a leader in hospitality, and to making our wine club the best in the Okanagan!

Zola Doré can be contacted at zola.dore@covertfarms.ca.

Jorden Hutchison, Communications Professional

Jorden Hutchison is a Vancouver-based communications professional who brings more than 15 years of tourism and hospitality experience, and over a decade overseeing the media relations and marketing communications programs for various destinations, hotels and resorts, wineries, restaurants and more.  When she’s not working, she can be found road tripping throughout BC with her husband and son, sipping one of her favourite BC wines (including Covert Farms’ ancestral sparkling), or hiking one of Vancouver’s many trails. Please email jorden@hutchisonpr.com for visiting journalist and influencer inquiries, the latest news on Covert Farms, or for fact-checking and imager requests.

Jorden Hutchison can be contacted at jorden@hutchisonpr.com.

Jessica Luongo and Marisa Varas, Amovino Sales Agency

Jessica, Marisa and their team specialize in working with family farmers who honour the environment with sustainable practices, and like us believe that the best-tasting beverages are made with love and respect for nature.

Jessica Luongo and Marisa Varas can be contacted at info@amovino.ca.