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Nature Fresh Farms to grow strawberry production volume

April 16, 2021  By Nature Fresh Farms (edited)


Photo courtesy of Nature Fresh Farms

Nature Fresh Farms is growing the volume of strawberries offered under their brand.

Their longstanding partner Cielo Vista Farms in Leamington, Ont., will be expanding their strawberry farm from one to 16 acres by this fall. Strawberry plants will be sourced from Simcoe, Ont.

“Partnering with Cielo Vista for our Strawberry program was an easy decision. We are very fortunate to have such a successful partnership with them,” said Niels Klapwijk, director of procurement. “We have been extremely happy with the quality and flavour we’ve been able to grow, which is why we are expanding the program.”

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In addition to focusing on growing their core commodities of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, Nature Fresh Farms has partnered with Cielo Vista to gain expertise in growing berries.

“Our retail and foodservice partners have expressed challenges within the berry category. However, every challenge presents an opportunity for us and greenhouse supply,” said Matt Quiring, director of sales. “After two years of trial and development, we are thrilled to add strawberries to our list of commodities, presenting us with more opportunities for new categories as shoppers’ demands continue to evolve.”

With strawberries being one of the top fruits imported into Canada, the expansion would help reduce food miles through local production, shorten transportation routes, and offer superior quality. This is an opportunity to deliver consistently flavourful, high-quality berries to North American markets that were previously out of reach.

“Our objective is to enrich consumer lives by providing sustainably grown fresh local produce like our greenhouse-grown strawberries,” shared vice president John Ketler. “With the success of this commodity, we see the potential progression of the strawberry program while opening new opportunities for future berry varietals.”


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