Lumsden’s Over the Hill Orchards and Winery won a major provincial tourism award last week.

They won the business of the year award for under 20 employees at the 30th annual Saskatchewan Tourism Awards at a gala in Saskatoon.

“Complete shock, surprise, happiness,” said Dean Kreutzer, co-owner of the business with wife Sylvia. “We’ve been doing this for 19 years and it comes at a really good time. It’s been a long time since we had an accolade like this. It gives you a little bit extra bounce in your step and a little bit more motivation to continue on and it’s really nice to be recognized for the amount of work we’ve done.”

There have been a lot of ups and downs at the orchard and winery, he said.

“It started out as an orchard,” said Kreutzer. “Sylvia and I moved out from Regina... and then we moved out to, what was basically an acreage and started planting our cherry trees there.”

Four years ago, the chefs association of Regina started doing four-course meals at the winery several times a year. Those are three and a half hour events, Kreutzer said.

“You come and you sit on the patio for half an hour and enjoy the beautiful view of the winery,” he said. “Then the chefs introduce themselves, and they tell you what they’ve created and all about each course and the ingredients. And then between the second and third course, I taken them on a tour of the orchard to show them all the different things we are growing because we’re growing 15 different kinds of fruits, including fruits you can’t grow here in Saskatchewan.”

Those fruits include peaches, blackberries, wine grapes and nectarines.

Then they go in and see the end result of one farm that is a part of a bigger local food scene, providing an experience that’s greater than just merely a meal out.

“It’s amazing that every Friday and Saturday in the summer, we have a restaurant here that’s got the best chefs and people are drinking our wine, overlooking the beautiful view of the valley,” Kreutzer said. “It’s pretty cool and it’s very unique for the prairies. It’s something you’d find in B.C. or the Niagara or California, so that’s really really cool.”

With no big silent investors, Kreutzer said they have accomplished what they have through hard work and dedication.