We saw so much growth and success at NatureFresh™ Farms this year!
Throughout 2018, there were many community campaigns, innovative product launches, new expansions, and sustainability projects that we can’t help but be proud of.
Join us in looking back at some of the memories the NatureFresh™ team made together in 2018.
At Home: Company Milestones
Our team had a lot of success stories to celebrate this year! Our Tomato, Bell Pepper, and Cucumber crops in Leamington, ON and Delta, OH had a great year with strong yields and exceptional quality. Hundreds of Grow-To People and millions of good bugs make one great team!
The Tomberry® – also known as the World’s Smallest Tomato – made its debut on store shelves this year! There are many things that make this Tomato special – including its petit size, unique growth process, and how it is harvested. To learn more about this versatile Tomato, check out our Spotlight blog.
Along with growing a new Tomato variety, we also started building a new Tomato greenhouse! This brand-new 32-acre greenhouse, currently being built in Leamington, ON, will allow us to produce fresh Ontario-grown Tomatoes throughout the winter months starting next year.
In 2018, our team also developed a formal partnership with the food rescue organization Forgotten Harvest to reduce our farm’s food waste footprint. We donate fresh produce that can’t be sold at the retail level to these organizations, and they glean and repackage that food to feed families in need! To learn more about this program, read the full story here.
In 2018, we continued to grow new and innovative products in our Discovery Center. This 2.5-acre trial greenhouse and research center brings together agricultural science, product trialing, and consumer feedback to help bring new products to market. Learn more about how our Discovery Center team is discovering the future of fresh here!
There were also many technological triumphs for our team – we developed and installed more automated machines on our pack lines, introduced many smart office tools to increase internal communication, and began using industry-leading software and systems to process our data more efficiently. To learn more about new technologies that we introduced at NatureFresh™ this year, check out our Innovation & Agriculture blog!
On the Road: Events & Programs
Our team hit the road this year for a host of community programs and industry events!
The Greenhouse Education Center (GEC), our 38-foot-long greenhouse-on-wheels, had an incredible five month season traveling throughout eastern North America to schools, retail stores, and fairs, showing people everywhere how we grow at NatureFresh™ Farms. Some of the GEC’s most memorable trips were to the Leamington Fair, Ohio State Fair, New York State Fair, and Fulton County Fair!
NatureFresh™ is a recognized leader within the greenhouse growing industry!
In 2018, members of our team visited important industry events like the SEPC Southern Exposure, CPMA Convention and United Fresh Market Expo. Most recently, our team visited the sunny city of Orlando, FL for the PMA Fresh Summit – at this show, we focused on product innovation, sustainability, and healthy lifestyle choices!
In addition to the GEC and industry shows, our team got very involved within our local communities in 2018. Some of the initiatives our team led and participated in include:
- A Southwestern Ontario Gleaners volunteer event
- The Annual Christmas Parade in Leamington
- A Fulton County Holiday Giveaway for families in need
- The Talking over Turkey community food basket fundraiser
- A cross-company food drive
To learn more about the causes important to our team, read our story here.
In Numbers: Measuring our Success
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113 Million Pounds of Produce Picked, Packed, & Shipped
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25,000 Servings of Soup Prepared During Our Gleaners Event
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6,330 Items Collected During Our Cross-Company Food Drive
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650 Grow-To People Delivering You Fresh Food Every Single Day
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45 Cities Visited with the Greenhouse Education Center
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32 Acres of Greenhouses Built
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4 Major Awards Received at the Annual Leamington Vegetable Awards
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1 Tiny Tomato Added to the NatureFresh™ Farms Family
It’s official – our team had a lot to be proud of in 2018!
As we enter our 20th year of growing in 2019, there is a lot to look forward to and plan for. But the Grow-To People are ready!
There are great things ahead for our team – and we are so fortunate to climb to new heights with great people leading the way.
