Heirloom blueberries
Jersey and Rubel high-bush bushes, 10–15 years old, transplanted from a certified organic farm in Snohomish County. Never sprayed.
Brian & Laura Torma
How did we get here?
Starting Tekla Farms has been a bit of a snowball effect — but isn't that just how life goes?
We're Brian and Laura Torma, owners and head farmers at Tekla Farms — wow, does that still feel crazy to say. We bought the property at the end of 2022, and it looked nothing like it does today.
It started as fallow, logged timberland with junk cars, trash, and rock-hard clay soil, once intended to be a construction yard for Brian's business. Many islanders have their own memories of this land — from epic shop parties (so we've heard) to riding dirt bikes around the horse trails.
Where there was clay and cast-off cars, there are now thousands of flowers and rows of heirloom blueberries.
Little by little, with help from our kids and our friends, that construction yard became a farm. Today the land grows heirloom high-bush blueberries and a vibrant flower field — tended without pesticides and with pollinators always in mind.
Named for Tekla Sophia
The name
In honor of a Finnish homesteader
Our name pays homage to Brian's grandmother, Tekla Sophia. She immigrated to the states from Finland and began farming in Northeastern Minnesota.
Her name reminds us daily of the work it takes to build something from the ground up — and of the generosity and grit we hope to pass on to our own kids on this land.
What we grow & how
Regenerative by nature
A working farm and a family destination — grown as close to wild as we can manage.
A vibrant flower field
Thousands of flowers grown beside the berries with regenerative, pesticide-free, pollinator-friendly practices.
Herbs & healthy soil
Chamomile, lemon balm, anise hyssop, tulsi basil & calendula — grown for the arrangements and for the soil.
Come be part of the story
Bring the family up the road
Pick a bag of blueberries, gather an armful of flowers, and take in the island air.