(Photos courtesy NatureFresh Farms)
Greenhouse produce continues to grow in prominence, buoyed by messages about food safety, environmental footprint, and flavor and quality.
Gary W. Hickman, a retired greenhouse horticultural adviser for the University of California, Davis, who now operates Cuesta Roble Consulting in Mariposa, Calif., said there were more than 3,800 acres of greenhouse vegetables grown in Canada as of 2017; more than 9,000 acres in Mexico; and roughly 2,200 acres in the U.S. as of 2014, the most recent year with available data.
In addition, as of last year, there were more than 5,700 acres of produce classified as “protected agriculture,” which involves infrastructure such as shade houses, in Mexico.
Carl Mastronardi, owner of Del Fresco Produce, which is based in Kingsville, Ontario, said that in the Leamington area alone, greenhouse acreage is more than 3,500 acres.
It is likely those figures will only increase in the foreseeable future.
Joe Sbrocchi, general manager of Leamington-based Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, said he expects acreage in Ontario to increase 2% this year and even more in coming seasons.
Greenhouse growing “is the future of farming,” Sbrocchi said. “If we're going to feed 2 billion more people in the world, it can't be done by conventional (methods).”
In addition to more acreage, Sbrocchi expects to see improved technology and a wider variety of produce in greenhouses, including berries, lettuces and certain types of beans.
Acreage up
Del Fresco Produce, which markets the DelFrescoPure brand, has increased its greenhouse-grown strawberry acreage from one acre three years ago to 17 acres this year as a result of requests from retailer partners and consumer demand, Mastronardi said.
The company is one of the first to use high-pressure sodium lighting on a mass scale to grow greenhouse strawberries, Mastronardi said.
Del Fresco plans to expand distribution of its berries from the Ontario area to some stores in Quebec and a couple of U.S. chains this year.
Branded as YES!Berries, the product will be advertised on billboards, TV, through in-store demos and merchandising and via “a tremendous amount of social media,” Mastronardi said.
They are available from October until August, with peak volume in late December into January.
The company also has partnered with British Columbia-based CubicFarm System Corp to introduce a unique growing container called the LivingCube, a system of automated vertical growing machines that produces living lettuce, basil and microgreens year-round.
The system reduces labor by up to 80%.
Mixing it up
Kingsburg-based Mucci Farms has an award-winning new product called CuteCumber Poppers, a package of one-bite cucumbers that are half the size of a cocktail cucumber, said Ajit Saxena, digital marketing coordinator.
The company also offers Fresh Mix, a 9-ounce snack pack with grape tomatoes, cocktail cucumbers and mini peppers.
Smuccie Dippers, another new product, builds on the success of the company's Smuccies Sweet Strawberries.
“We added a new version that includes chocolate dip or cheesecake dip,” Saxena said
The firm also has completed the first of a three-phase, 60-acre greenhouse expansion in Huron, Ohio.
New products
Leamington-based Pure Hothouse Foods, which markets the Pure Flavor brand, has introduced a number of new products, said chief marketing officer Chris Veillon.
They include Azuca red cherry tomatoes on the vine, Juno red grape tomatoes on the vine, Uno Bites nano tomatoes, Redzilla Monster red sweet peppers, Stingrays hot peppers, Uno Bites nano cucumbers, organic mini cucumbers and organic Aurora Bites mini sweet peppers.
The company is planning on more product launches in 2019, he said.
The company also has finished a complete brand refresh, with new packaging now being distributed.
“Pure Flavor has transitioned from a house of brands to a brand house strategic marketing approach to further raise awareness for the Pure Flavor brand across all that we grow,” Veillon said.
The company also has completed the first phase of an expansion of its Georgia greenhouse that includes several varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers, the firm and broke ground in the fall on a 60,000-square foot distribution center that will serve as a consolidation point for product grown in Georgia and coming from growers in Canada and Mexico.
Completion is expected early this year.
