Eight years ago, in the fall of 2014, Canadian Nature Fresh Farms opened its first greenhouse outside Canada in Delta, Ohio. “Based on research we had done, the demand for local Ohio produce offered a new and exciting challenge,” said Matt Quiring, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing with the company. “The strategy of growing closer to consumers made sense, and it has proven to be the right one,” said Quiring. Over the years, Nature Fresh Farms has established partnerships with all major retailers in the Midwest and on the Eastern seaboard, including Kroger, Heinen’s, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and more.
In the spring of 2015, production started out of Ohio. “It is a high-tech facility, equipped with supplementary lighting, which has allowed us to grow and market greenhouse-grown produce year-round without the support of distant markets during the winter months.”
Beefsteak tomatoes.
High Flavor Cherry on the Vine variety.
Expansion into organic strawberries
Up until now, the company has strictly been growing conventional tomato varieties at its 45-acre Delta, Ohio, greenhouses. Varieties include Beefsteak, TOV, and High Flavor Cherry on the Vine varietals. However, changes are on the horizon. “Currently, expansion of our Ohio facility is underway with the addition of 45 acres of organic strawberries,” shared Quiring. Production, which is forecasted to begin in Fall 2023, will see the strawberry crop supplied from October through the end of July uninterruptedly. “This will be a lit crop and, to our knowledge, the only organically grown greenhouse strawberry crop in North America.”
Visit Nature Fresh Farms at booth #4189 at IFPA’s Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando next month to see their greenhouse-grown offerings firsthand.
For more information:
Krysta Markham
Nature Fresh Farms
Tel: (+1) 519-326-1111
Krysta.markham@naturefresh.ca
www.naturefresh.ca