It All Began with Daisy

This incredible success story tells in accurate, humorous detail how two sophisticated New Yorkers left the rat race and bought a farm in Nova Scotia. When their cow, Daisy, gave them too much milk for their little family, Sonia Jones started making dairy products for the local health food stores. Her recipes for yogurt, ice-cream, cheese spreads and cheesecakes took the province by storm, and soon the company began to grow like Topsy. The Jones’s enterprise was so successful that they ended up becoming the proud owners of a multi-million dollar corporation. WHAT THE PRESS IS SAYING: The author relates the story in an engaging fashion, even describing setbacks cheerfully. There is added charm in accounts of veteran farmers whose advice was invaluable to the couple, to whom rural life at first was utterly alien. -Jim Morrison, Publishers Weekly The most appealing idea in this book is the notion that small-scale capitalism can help preserve both ecological balance and individual freedom. Especially when applied to farming, the vision brings out the Jeffersonian in us all; and the author is always cheerily optimistic about its prospects. “The chickens fattened themselves on maggots; the pigs took care of the wastage emanating from the kitchen or the dairy-case shelves; and the tourists liquidated the farm-related food products so the cash could then be used to keep the business growing.” This is a striking passage-a sort of yuppie version of Virgil’s “Georgics,” with a notable element of truth. -Bob Coleman, New York Times A colorful parade of well-drawn characters and tragicomical events, from a leaky filling machine to two years of production built on a kitchen stove and Styrofoam boxes. This all but ensures the Jones’s life will soon be the subject of a made-for-TV movie. Would Jane Fonda care to play the confident, unstoppable Sonia? -Jennifer Henderson, Toronto Financial Post What’s especially interesting about Jones’ story is that her company was a success in spite of itself. It was in business before it even had a name; it had no plan and no start-up money. That’s nothing short of amazing when you consider that everything written or said about entrepreneurship stresses developing a solid business proposal, having a sound marketing plan, and spending a fortune to launch the enterprise. -Marilyn Linton, Lifestyle Editor, Toronto Sunday Sun