Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Southpoint Sun - 9
Local greenhouse expecting first strawberry crop in March KINGSVILLE – Ever Tru Farms in Kingsville has entered the greenhouse strawberry market. The new entirely vertically integrated berry producer of scale has entered the market in a way that will revolutionize the strawberry market in North America. Ever Tru Farms will launch its first crop this March, using a sustainable hydroponic growing process that leads to a better, more consistent, and locally grown product. Ever Tru Farms’ leadership team has decades of experience in the greenhouse and hydroponic growing industries. The team consists of Paul J. Mastronardi, head of sales and marketing, and Guido van het Hof, president of Great Northern Hydroponics, along with participation from Jim DiMenna, president of Red Sun Farms. “We are one team, with one focus,” says Mastronardi. “To deliver consistently delicious strawberries, every time. We are confident in our strategy, but more importantly, our process.” “We are moving into
the strawberry category as a united front,” added van het Hof. “Through reconstructing and adapting the approach that brought us so much success with other produce, we have developed a growing strategy for strawberries that achieves unparalleled taste and consistency.” The Ever Tru team spent six years refining the growing process and creating the perfect formula, ensuring they were ready to hit the ground running with a superior
product. From propagation to
distribution, and every stage in between, having the entire operation under one team allows them complete control of the growing process, ensuring that only the best strawberries are being produced and brought to market. Greenhouse grown, using an impressive hy-
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droponics system, these strawberries are locally cultivated year-round in a controlled environment with optimum growing conditions, no pesticides, and non-GMO. Ever Tru Farms is targeting an aggressive expansion plan, and is on track to have one million square feet of hydroponic growing space online in January of 2022, with an additional one million square feet by the fall. The operation will be producing 30,000 cases of strawberries a week to start, with expected growth of up to 45,000 cases in the future. The product will be available throughout the region in both Canada and the United States.
PAUL MASTRONARDI
