KINGSVILLE, ON - Amidst a year of innovation and growth, Mucci Farms has announced it is entering Phase Two of its strawberry farm development, doubling its acreage from 12- to 24-acres to be in operation in the fall of 2017.
"I could not be more excited and proud of our entire team," said Joe Spano, VP of Sales & Marketing, according to a press release. "Creative, forward-thinking, and always bringing change and innovation to the greenhouse industry. Now once again we find ourselves entering a new space for the North American market, instantly setting the bar for the best consumer experience in the strawberry category!"
Boem Berry Farms is adding the extra 12-acres to bring the operation to an impressive 1-million-square-feet. Exclusively growing strawberries in what the company said is the largest controlled environment strawberry farm in North America, Mucci Farms and Dutch Growers Ton Bastiaansen and Joost van Oers trialed together for three years before striking a partnership in January of 2016. Since then, the partners have seen steady growth and increased demand for greenhouse grown strawberries.
"Consumers today are emphasizing healthy eating and are willing to pay for products that have superior flavor, along with high standards for nutrition and food safety," Spano added. "We see a demand for more greenhouse grown strawberries in the market."
Phase Three of the expansion is slated for 2018, and will include state of the art lit culture technology for the Award Winning Smuccies™ brand, marketed by Mucci Farms. The move will allow the company to offer locally-grown strawberries during winter months, under grow lights.
“Like the first 12 acres, the additional 12 will also include the use of diffused glass which provides even sunlight to the crops and reduces stress on the plants,” said George Dekker, Special Projects Manager. “We will continue to incorporate high pressure fogging systems to cool down the greenhouse in the summer and also use the swing gutter system to allow for maximum plants per square meter.”
Currently, Mucci Farms owns over 200 acres of greenhouses, 30 of which are currently growing lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers year-round.
As we've previously reported, innovation has been a focus for Mucci in every facet of the business, with the recent construction of an 85,000-square-foot warehouse expansion with state-of-the-art automation equipment.
“Greenhouse strawberries are grown in an environment that uses 100% of the fertilizer,” says Blake Fischer, Head Strawberry Grower at Mucci Farms. “We can tailor nutrients to exactly what the plant needs, allowing the product to grow exactly as intended with maximum flavor and consistency. Our strawberries are clean, harvested with immense care, and grown in a biologically- and climate-controlled environment.”
The Award Winning Greenhouse Grown Smuccies™ are available and in stores now.
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