Relieved that their crop survived the worst of Hurricane Larry, the owners of Brown’s Family Farms in Newfoundland were shocked when they went to harvest the last of their wild Newfoundland blueberries and found that someone had beat them to it, according to the CBC.
More than three acres of the farm, located outside St. John’s, had already been harvested, likely by hand rakes, co-owner Nancy White tells the St. John’s Morning Show. The thieves also allegedly knocked down a sign and covered the field in tire tracks and footprints.
“There’s not a berry left on the bush,” says White. “We were pretty upset and pretty much just kept walking around in disbelief.”
White said the blueberry heist must have taken significant time, many hands, and professional equipment.
“It’s not a gallon of berries, it’s a significant amount of berries,” she adds. “So whoever harvested these berries would have the equipment and the capacity to deal with it.”
White believes the culprits are likely selling the berries to a bulk buyer or, if they have the right equipment, processing the berries themselves.
“You could see those berries anywhere,” notes White, who says the theft is a blow to their business, especially since they can no longer fulfill some of their bigger orders.