Quebec company Ferme d’Hiver received $46 million, notably from the Quebec government, to quadruple its strawberry production and reach one million kilos a year at its Vaudreuil site.
Ferme d’Hiver, which combines agriculture with artificial intelligence, announced on Tuesday that it received this funding from the provincial government, Investissement Québec and thanks to new investors (Desjardins, Farm Credit Canada, La Financière agricole du Québec, Capital Financière agricole Inc. and two private partners).
Those funds will be used to build one of the largest vertical strawberry farms in the world, the company said in a press release.
In the coming months, six rooms of 600 m2 each will be added to the two already operational, allowing the cultivation of strawberries every month of the year.
To implement the project, Ferme d’Hiver also announced that it had taken over the business of its nursery partner Les Serres Vaudreuil.
“The arrival of new partners is a sign of confidence in Ferme d’Hiver’s industrial potential and in our ability to deliver top quality fruit. More than ever, it is important to innovate in order to develop local agriculture, more sustainable and competitive in the face of import markets,” said Alain Brisebois, President and CEO of Ferme d’Hiver, in a press release.
“Ferme d’Hiver’s vertical farming and smart lighting concept is innovative and profitable for Quebec. In addition to promoting local production and the purchase of Quebec products, it contributes to the development of a responsible agribusiness,” said Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister for Economy, Innovation and Energy.
For his part, André Lamontagne believes that “an agriculture based on a variety of models is essential to increase sustainable food self-sufficiency in Quebec. We can be proud to count on an innovative and dynamic agribusiness,” said the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.