KINGSVILLE, ON - As Canada celebrates 150 years, news source the National Post looked back on some of the leaders the country is known for. The publication recently featured Mastronardi Produce and the Mastronardi family in its piece “Canada 150: Hunger for tomatoes turns Canada into greenhouse superpower.”
“We’re very excited that Canada’s celebrating its 150th and that various media outlets, including the National Post, are highlighting key industries in which Canada plays a leadership role,” said CEO Paul Mastronardi. “It’s especially satisfying to have the spotlight on the Canadian greenhouse industry and on the Mastronardi family, who have been recognized as greenhouse pioneers. We thank the National Post for visiting our greenhouse facilities to better educate the public on this innovative and growing business.”
The Post interviewed Mastronardi’s CEO at the company’s test greenhouse in Kingsville, ON, which a press release noted is one of the largest trial centres in North America, housing over 500 tomato varieties. This greenhouse, the company said, is the key to Mastronardi’s success which is based on innovation and flavor. As Paul describes, “It’s more of a research program. Flavor is repeat sales.”
Paul explained that his great grandfather, Armando Mastronardi, who immigrated to Canada in the 1920s, started the family’s produce empire by wisely selecting the country’s southernmost spot. His grandfather, Umberto, then evolved this farming by bringing Dutch greenhouse technology to Canada, allowing year-round growing in the 1940s. In the early 1980s, Paul said the family became modern farmers. By getting out of the dirt and advancing the greenhouse industry by using modern technology and processes, they minimized environmental impact while improving yields, working conditions, and overall flavor.
You can watch the latest leader in the farming family that dates back four generations in the publication’s video “Tomato Tsar” here, as he explains the process of modern greenhouse growing and the future of the industry.
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