​As best friends since childhood, Bert Veens and Pete Geerts always knew they wanted to work outdoors. Both men grew up on dairy farms, close to Warwick, Ontario, and worked together for a local orchard. After several years of learning how to care for apple trees, Pete and Bert (and his wife Rita) purchased their first farm in 1985. Later that year, the three worked hard to plant a large amount of apple trees. Like many businesses in the area, they named their company after the small hamlet known as Birnam (no longer in existence). A few years later, Pete married Debbie. The four worked hard to acquire more farmland and plant more fruit trees. 

 

With each mass-planting, the Veens and Geerts families planted different apple varieties to expand their horizons. They also began planting peach, and plum trees. Along with the expansion of the farm, both of the families grew too.