If you ask Clermont Riendeau, co-owner of Potager Riendeau, what the secret to the succes [+] Read more

by Amélie Cournoyer

If you ask Clermont Riendeau, co-owner of Potager Riendeau, what the secret to the success of the family farm is, he does not hesitate to answer. It can be summed up in four words: experience, technique, effort and quality. This has been the family's mantra from one generation to the next.

Clermont Riendeau knows everything there is to know about the family business. He is the fifth of seven children and he was born on the family farm purchased by his parents in 1959 from his grandfather Moïse. Maurice Riendeau and Thérèse Beaudin bought the 90 acres to keep the family tradition alive. Half of the farm is sandy loam and the other is black earth; they call it "black and loam". At first they grew sugar beets, potatoes and cumbers, and then gradually moved into vegetables with a better value such as lettuce, onions and carrots. The family has always put the quality of their products first, and the public quickly responded by recognizing their efforts: in 1965 and 1969, Maurice and Thérèse earned the title of salad kings from the Quebec Produce Growers Association.

At the time, farm work was very demanding, as everything was done by hand. The couple earned their recognition through hard work. "My husband left around 11 in the evening to sell our vegetables at the Marché Central in Montreal and would come back home when he had sold everything. He would mostly get home at 8 or 9 in the morning. As soon as he got home he would have a quick bite, drink a coffee and head out into the fields for a day’s work. When the sun started to set, he would sleep for two or three hours and then leave for the market. He would keep this schedule from Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day to the month of November,” says Thérèse. Maurice would finally get some rest over the winter months but was always at work. From 1959 to the beginning of the 1990s, he bought neighbouring wooded lots and would cut timber with one or two employees. He cleared 150 to 200 acres, and doubled the size of his farm.

Passing on the Flame

"Everyone on our family farm had their hands in the earth. When we came home from school, my brothers and sisters and I would head straight out to work in the fields. We would get to weeding, cutting lettuce and gathering and cleaning the vegetables,” remembers Clermont. His mother Thérèse continues in the same vein: "Maurice was the leader, and the kids were his little workers. He showed them how to do everything. The rows of onions had to be straight, or the kids would get into trouble... But because of his determination, we had one of the prettiest farms in the world!"

When they became adults, Maurice and Thérèse's four girls left the nest, but the three boys stayed on the farm and took the reins of the family business. In 1974, the parents and the oldest boy, José, founded the business that we know today: Potager Riendeau Inc. A few years later, Sylvain and Clermont joined the adventure by gradually acquiring shares in the company. That is when the next generation took the reins.

At the beginning of the 1980s, the food industry saw an incredible transformation: the consolidation of the distribution sector gave birth to major players with increased buying power. The Riendeau family saw a business opportunity and developed a shrewd strategy to break into the marketplace. Distributors answered their call, and orders grew exponentially. The business was doing very well. So well, in fact, their supply could not meet the demand for products. Because they were short supplied, the family decided to expand their holdings and purchase three neighbouring farms in 1993, 2004 and in 2008. This expansion allowed them to begin growing a new product, celery.

By the Numbers

Potager Riendeau's production volume numbers are enough to give you vertigo. At the moment, four or five vegetables are being cultivated: Iceberg lettuce makes up 40% of the sales, romaine lettuce accounts for 30% and the remaining 30% is made up of onions and celery. Seventy percent of their total production comes from lettuce. Each week, close to 20,000 cases of 24 heads of lettuce leave the farm, but during the hotter months, the number reaches 30,000 cases (some 720,000 heads of lettuce). This does not include the 3,000 50lb bags of onions and 3,000 cases of 24 heads of celery which are also gathered weekly. All of the farm's produce used to be sold at the Marché Central by Clermont's parents, but now things have changed since the development of large chain grocery stores. "We sell 70% of our production to food chains and distributors,” says Clermont. "We meet in the spring, and they let us know what their needs will be, and we tell them what we have to offer. The other 30% of our products are still sold at the Marché Central by the brokers who work on site."

In order to grow this volume of products, the family has had to hire on a few extra hands. Potager Riendeau now has 125 employees, 90 of whom are seasonal workers from Mexico and Guatemala. The rest of the team is made up of heads of production, watering and seeding, a receptionist, sales people, forepersons, mechanics, accountants and tax specialists. The three brothers can always count on Maurice and Thérèse as well. "My parents will still be around until the year 3000,” jokes Clermont. “They have always been hard workers and they are still working even though they are more than 75 years old. The farm is their pride and joy. They still work, but they do their tasks at a pace they can manage.” The recognition they receive for their hard work also comes from outside the family. In 2006, Thérèse was nominated Farmer of the year by the Syndicat des agricultrices de Val-Jean, first regionally and then provincially.

Different Times and Different Values

When Clermont and Thérèse discuss the differences between the two generations, they are quick to point out that the work used to be far more physically demanding. "For my parents' generation, half the work was done by hand. Now things are 80% mechanized. There are even machines that go into the fields that look like little mobile factories,” says Clermont. Even though the modernized, mechanized equipment allows farmers to work less hard physically, it is still difficult psychologically. "I admit that the work is still hard mentally,” says Clermont. "The logistics of having a farm this size are very complicated. We also have to respect requirements and governmental programs for food safety and health that are getting increasingly stringent. Not to mention the financial aspect. In the spring, our investment is sizeable and that puts quite a bit of pressure on us. Before we harvest and the money starts coming in, well... Let's just say the investment banker is walking around nervously in the field."

Another sign that things are changing: seasonal activities have been replaced with year- round ones: secretarial work, hiring, employee management, maintaining equipment, planning seeds and sowing, and buying material, equipment and fertilizer. There are also the three greenhouses that the three brothers take care of. Everything has to be ready to sow the seeds at the beginning of the month of March in order to begin the harvest by mid-June and to make the most of the soil's peak in July.

A Long Row to Hoe

"The business has always done well. We have always sold our vegetables and we have never encountered insurmountable problems. That said, no two years have ever been the same. There are always ups and downs, but we stay positive,” says Thérèse. The course of the Riendeau family's history is exemplar. The business has always been able to expand to meet demand, and both have grown consistently since the very beginning. There are still some losses to be dealt with. At least 5 to 10% of the total harvest is not usable. Lettuce is a very perishable product and it requires a lot of care.

How does the business deal with competition? "Well, there are other farms with the same products as us, but competition is healthy... It helps motivate us to surpass ourselves,” says Clermont. The Riendeau farm covers 650 acres and is one of the largest farms in the province in terms of surface area but is still overshadowed by the large-scale farms in the United States, many of which are between 20,000 to 50,000 acres in size. Production on these mega-farms is so large that they can allow for a price reduction in order to break into new markets. In fact their prices rival those of local producers even though their farms can be thousands of kilometres away from our grocery stores. The brothers are keeping a close eye on the United States, since 90% of products like prepared salads and pre-cut vegetables come from our neighbours to the south, and their business is growing in Quebec. The family has also noticed that China is playing a larger role in the Quebec marketplace by offering vegetables at competitive prices. "Luckily the Quebec Produce Growers Association is working diligently with producers to promote Quebec products,” says Clermont.

When we asked Clermont what the key to the success of Potager Riendeau Inc. was, he and his mother were unanimous: the family's harmony - they work well together and they only have quality products to offer. To which Thérèse adds: "I'm very proud of what my husband and I have accomplished. We have succeeded as a couple, on the farm and with our family. Despite all these accomplishments, my greatest pride is my grandchildren. When I look today at the business we have built, I think we have left a beautiful legacy." You have to agree with her.

Turning the Farm Over to the Next Generation

Much to the satisfaction of the parent and grandparents, the family's children are also ready to take the reins. For the time being, Clermont's sons Patrice (25 years old), Pascal (22 years old), Sylvain and Dave (both 19 years of age) have chosen to pursue studies that will allow them to take over the farm. Patrice holds a degree as a certified management accountant (CMA), the second has a Vocational Studies Diploma in agricultural management, and the third is pursuing a course in agricultural management.

"We didn't have a lot of schooling when we were their age but we succeeded because we were in good health and we were hard workers. Things are different today. To work in the same fields these days, our children need diplomas and money. If the families aren't able to loan them money, there wouldn't be anyone to follow in our footsteps. There are too many family farms dying out because there is too much money at stake. People end up selling to strangers or large companies and that's a shame,” says Thérèse. Her children are currently trying to find the best way to proceed with a transfer of responsibilities and the sale of the business to the fourth generation of the Riendeau family. It is a far cry from the $35,000 Maurice and Thérèse paid for the little plot of land, and the sale will most likely take several years.
 

Based in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, Lorraine Nadon is an accomplished vegetable and herb producer, who has embraced new t [+] Read more

Based in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, Lorraine Nadon is an accomplished vegetable and herb producer, who has embraced new trends and whose fresh produce now adorns the finest dishes in Québec. Interview with an exceptional woman, with business on her mind and passion in her heart.

“My father used to say that farming meant enduring hardships. Wanting an easier life for his daughters, he encouraged us to go to school to learn other trades . . .” But despite her father’s efforts, Lorraine Nadon had already been bitten by a passion for agriculture, so she simply followed her heart. This farmer’s daughter dived into the family business at a very early age. She was scarcely seven on her first day of work: “For the past 42 years, I have been spending several nights a week, from Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day to Halloween, selling our products at Marché Central in Montréal. I get up around 11:30 p.m. to be at the market by 2:00 a.m. and I stop on the way to make a few deliveries. Although my father has now passed away, I still run the farm with my 72-year-old mother and my spouse, who joined the company about twelve years ago,” says she, brimming with enthusiasm.

From tomatoes to herbs
“My parents began by mainly growing tomatoes and strawberries. But when I started to get more involved in the company, I quickly realized that the competition was fierce and that we had to differentiate ourselves in order to survive. So, 27 years ago, I decided to start growing herbs. Since we already served Italian and Greek customers, whose cuisine makes extensive use of herbs, I deemed it was a viable business. But the people around me were not so enthusiastic, not even the MAPAQ (Québec’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), who refused to subsidize my project. Some people even told me straight out that it could spell disaster for my business! Thankfully, my parents had faith in me. Although my father didn’t loan me any money, he did lend me his machinery, offered me a plot of land, and most importantly, gave me his time and shared his experience. I first started with parsley—to please my Italian customers—and here I am today with more than 25 varieties. That’s what I call a success, and it’s what I’m most proud of to this day.”

Time for change
Lately, Ms. Nadon has been thinking about changing ventures: “The herb producing industry is already saturated, and it’s time to move on to something else,” she says, adding that too few Quebeckers cook with herbs anyway. “Not only are born-and-bred Quebeckers little interested in cooking with herbs, few are interested in cooking at all,” she regrets. “Immigrants are far more inclined to cook with herbs, and in my opinion, they represent about 95 percent of the market.”

From herbs to mini vegetables
In order to meet the growing demand from restaurant customers, who are inspired by what is happening in France—a country she believes to be 15 years ahead of Québec when it comes to the availability of fresh produce—Lorraine Nadon now focuses on growing mini vegetables, slowly phasing out her herb production.

With no shortage of new ideas, Ms. Nadon now turns to growing small — and very cute —vegetables , including mini turnips, mini zucchinis of various colours, mini pattypan squash, and countless more exciting offerings. “These small vegetables grow twice as quickly as the larger ones, are packed with vitamins, and are easier to prepare since you can simply wash and serve; you don’t even have to cut them before cooking,” she adds. “Consumers need only look at what gourmet restaurants are serving, and they will notice these fantastic new products in growing numbers , and how elegantly mini vegetables decorate a plate.”

With her mind full of fresh ideas, Lorraine Nadon works tirelessly, blazing her own path and having fun every step of the way. She definitely knows where she’s going! “I’m currently testing an ancient vegetable—the Jerusalem artichoke. I’m trying to figure out how we can put it to good use. My Jerusalem artichoke remoulade is something to behold, even if I do say so myself! I believe that marketing processed products is considerably easier than growing them: you don’t have to deal with the weather for one thing. As I get older, I’m trying to simplify things,” she explains.

The weather factor
Is it always so difficult for producers to cope with the weather? “Just a bit,” she replies. In fact, like all people in her industry, she has to accept the harsh reality of the Quebec climate. But she says that she has other foes to contend with in the business: “It’s not easy to remain competitive with producers from countries benefitting from cheap labour. It really does make all the difference,” she says, adding that she hires students to lend her a hand during harvest time.

A demanding clientele
Clearly, times have changed. “Our customers used to be served directly from the truck at the Place des Producteurs at Marché Central. Today, orders are received by fax, phone or email, and prepared in advance. Our customers, especially restaurants, caterers and fine food stores are always looking for new products to impress their customers. That said, occasional advertising and our growing reputation have attracted customers from as far away as New Brunswick and Ontario,” says Lorraine Nadon proudly.

Aiming for success
“Way back when, my parents were said to be trailblazers, even if only because they let me work at Marché Central in an almost exclusively male environment. Personally, I think I’m innovative and can move with the times: I’m always surfing the Net, trying to find new methods, new seeds and new products, for example, in order to avoid using insecticides, while continuing to protect my crops as best I can. In the agricultural industry, you must embrace change. With new products, you learn by trial and error. Sometimes you have to refocus and change your methods the following year in order to increase production. That’s why my company is front and center 24 hours a day,” she concedes. However, she still tries to take it one day at a time: “Otherwise, I’d always be under stress and that’s not good for my health!” she says.

A passion she shares
“Not only do you have to like growing a product, but you also have to like getting people to discover it, and selling it. That’s one of the reasons I speak at various horticultural association and group meetings. I like introducing new products and suggesting new recipes to people.” According to this producer, young people today don’t know how to cook any more, which is her greatest disappointment. “I still find it hard to understand why some families buy almost exclusively ready-made dishes while there are so many great products growing in Québec that are very easy to serve. When it comes down to it, I think that fruit and vegetable retailers should be better educated in order to inform consumers as to the choices available to them. For example, eating a fruit that is not ripe enough or badly preserved doesn’t make you want to relive the experience. Flavour is what stays in our memories, and is what determines whether we buy a product again or not.”

We can only wish this producer a great summer that does justice to all her hard work and perseverance. Ms. Nadon, ever the optimist, has the final word: “Believe me, with everything that’s coming up, 2010 will be our year,” she says with a smile in her voice.

Who needs perfect vegetables?
Producer Lorraine Nadon stresses the fact that people seeking a healthy diet must stop looking for perfection: “If you want to avoid traces of pesticides or insecticides on your fruit and vegetables, stop looking for impeccable leaves free of any holes, or perfectly shaped vegetables. Even if my products are not certified organic, I support the movement. People must first and foremost understand what it means, visually, to eat more natural foods.”

Les jardins de Stéphanie
Is all this freshness making your mouth water? If you would like to discover Lorraine Nadon’s products, go to: www.jardinsstephanie.com. You will find, among other things, the areas around Saint-Lin-Laurentides where baskets of fresh produce can be delivered.
 

For over 50 years, Vincent Forino has been farming in the Montérégie Region, specifically at Saint-Patrice de Sherrin [+] Read more

For over 50 years, Vincent Forino has been farming in the Montérégie Region, specifically at Saint-Patrice de Sherrington, one of Quebec’s most beautiful produce growing areas. Vincent, who initially only grew radishes and carrots, now produces a wide variety of crops. In fact, such a diverse range of products from one grower is rare.

The Long Voyage
Seeking to experience the American dream, Vincent Forino emigrated from his native Italy to Quebec in 1952. Arriving with 50 dollars in his pocket, he worked night and day to succeed. It’s only when he was hired by produce growers that he was struck with his passion for agriculture. He did not hesitate to buy his first plot in 1958 and, after marrying Maria Notaro, added three more acres.
Today, Fermes V. Forino et fils own not 3 but 275 acres. The Forino Farms’ now mainly grow multiple varieties of lettuce: green, red, curly, Boston, Romaine, escarole and chicory—a total of 7 million heads of lettuce a year. They also grow celery, carrots, radishes, bok choy and petsai. All lettuce and celery seedlings are started in the operation's greenhouses then transplanted to the field, making it possible to produce up to three harvests over the summer.

The New Generation
Since 1995, three of the couple’s nine children share management of the family business. Carmen is in charge of sales, marketing and quality assurance. Joseph oversees soils, growing and innovation. Denis heads up human resources, logistics and exports. "In our twenties, we had to be proactive in meeting the many challenges of taking the reins of this business that we saw was filled with potential,” explains with passion Carmen Forino. Indeed, running a produce farm requires far more than just knowing how to plant lettuce and keeping it watered.

It’s hard work that demands skills in engineering, mechanics, management, marketing and agronomy as well as a fair dose of leadership. In a family business, each child has his own strengths and fields of expertise; it’s just a question of putting all the right parts together to create a smooth-running operation.

But don’t think for a minute that papa Forino has retired. Despite his 76 years of age, he is never far away, driving a tractor or supervising an employee's work. During high season, the farms’ operations require no less than 50 workers. Among these, 34 come from Guatemala or Mexico and live at the farm all summer. "Luckily, Italian and French are very close to Spanish, so it wasn’t too difficult to learn to communicate and even joke around with our workers,” comments Carmen Forino.

Priorities Focussed on Innovation
Fermes V. Forino has always afforded major importance to innovation. Vincent and his children have pioneered many agricultural techniques. From draining muck soil when there is too much water to implementing irrigation when there is too little, to building greenhouses, no effort is too great when it comes to improving the farms’ installations. Therefore, new technology began to be introduced ever since the 70’s to ensure maximum production quality. Subsequently, maximum freshness was achieved with the construction of refrigerated warehouses and the purchase of a new vacuum cooler to accelerate lettuce pre-cooling.

Machinery also went through its lot of technological advances. "On a produce farm, equipment innovation is on-going. Some equipment must be adapted to a specific crop or type of earth. Research and development also take place in a country garage,” Carmen likes to point out. You have to understand that technology makes the work much easier. For example, by integrating a GPS into your tractor, it can practically drive itself and makes very straight furrows. But the greatest Forino family achievement is undoubtedly its design of a machine capable of cutting, washing and packaging celery right in the field. Hard to get any fresher than that!

Social and Environmental Awareness
Generosity is a quality that totally characterizes the Forinos who are always ready to contribute to a good cause. Last year, they were actively involved in the “Drive Away Hunger” campaign, offering lodging and food to the Montérégie volunteers. All this contributed to gathering many tons of commodities for the most deprived inhabitants of rural regions who are too often forgotten.

The Forinos are also active with regard to protecting the environment. Aware of the impact of agricultural activities, they are working with agronomists to change their work methods in an effort to ensure quality crops while providing the earth with the tools to regain its balance. To this end, they are currently experimenting with adding an organic product that should improve soil oxygenation, stimulate crop vitality and develop natural defences, all this, of course, with a view to reducing the use of chemicals.

More than Growers
Today, Fermes V. Forino et fils are much more than just vegetable farms; they have become ambassadors of Quebec’s quality produce. The Forino company, who sells under its brand names, i.e. FVF, Classic Garden, Royal and Forino Produce, exports to the U.S. not only the produce it grows but also that of other farms in an effort to provide as wide a range of products as possible. This is yet another effective way to promote our beautiful province to the world.
 

In the very heartland of Quebec sits the charming village of Sainte-Brigitte-des-Saults, just 24 kilometres from Drum [+] Read more

In the very heartland of Quebec sits the charming village of Sainte-Brigitte-des-Saults, just 24 kilometres from Drummondville, where Michelle Rajotte and Louis-Marie Jutras have run Les Cultures de chez nous for 26 years. With annual sales reaching $3 M, this family-run business is now the largest leek producer in Quebec.

Back to the land
Their great love of nature and their deepest wish to raise their family in the country prompted Michelle and her husband Louis-Marie—who were anything but entrepreneur-material—to go back to the land in 1978. A secretary and a cartographer, these hobby farmers, growing garlic and asparagus, nonetheless founded Les Cultures de chez nous three years later, acquiring new land in the process to cultivate their passion.

Today, the company produces and markets leeks, asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, soy, corn, grains, and this year will add blueberries to their list of crops. Les Cultures de chez nous farms 600 acres and employs over twenty full-time workers, adding thirty seasonal workers during peak season.

Innovation and marketing
Les Cultures de chez nous is a Quebec leader in leek production and marketing. Indeed, 85 acres are devoted annually to the production of about three million leek plants. Specializing in sliced leeks and European leeks, the company imports them from Europe during the winter months to ensure an ongoing supply throughout the year.

For Michelle Rajotte, it is essential for the business to continue encouraging consumers to include leek in their weekly menu. “Since 2000, we have invested a great deal in marketing, and we’re trying to introduce a new food into the average Quebecker’s diet. Our sliced leeks are gaining in popularity; they add a unique fresh flavour, without the bother of cleaning and preparation.” Though still overlooked by many, the leek is slowly but surely carving out its place, particularly among our greatest chefs and in recipes published in magazines.

A state-of-the-art operation
The company has chosen to maintain control over the entire production chain, opting for integrated management from field to market. Les Cultures de chez nous now relies on a fully equipped infrastructure for preparing, drying and packaging its products. In particular, it has developed expertise in the packaging of asparagus—a first for Quebec! Thanks to a grouping of 12 Quebec producers, Les Cultures de chez nous will package and market 350,000 pounds of asparagus—just this year! Eighty percent of this production will be packaged this spring alone. The process improves the preservation of asparagus, and also makes it easer to clean and identify the product.

The company can also rely on a team of experienced partners to develop its communications tools and strategies.

Sustainable agriculture
Michelle Rajotte is well aware of the importance of maintaining healthy soils and helping to preserve the environment, and she favours a global approach to reducing the use of chemical products. “We have opted for integrated pest management, a method that respects the environment and the balance of the soils. We minimize the use of fertilizers and insecticides. We also use compost made from crop residues and manure, which gives our land its rich organic matter.” She points out that responsible land management can not only increase product quality, but also guarantee sustainable farming for generations to come.

Healthy challenges
Les Cultures de chez nous has been mainly serving food chains, hotels, restaurants and fast-food processors, but is now being wooed by other markets. The businesswoman and company spokesperson says that discussions are currently underway and could lead to new agreements, particularly with the Canadian Atlantic and California markets.

The secret behind the company’s success? First and foremost, a passion for farming and the desire to take on new challenges, says Louis-Marie Jutras. “Both of us are movers and shakers, and we love a challenge. We’ve been lucky enough to work in the field of our choosing and, more importantly, to live out our passion for farming every day.”

Despite the leek’s improving commercial position, the company intends to continue marketing the product to make it better known to consumers. “There’s still a lot of ground to be covered before our products reach their full notoriety. This is an objective we intend to reach in the next few years, slowly but surely,” points out Mr. Jutras.

Legacy
The couple is pleased with their company’s constant progress, and they can also count on their three children to take over the operation and ensure the business continues to thrive. The eldest, Valérie, 25, is already a partner in the company, while Alexis and Antoine are both agriculture students preparing to take on responsibilities within the team. “We are happy to transfer our knowledge and experience to our children. It’s really our most valuable legacy.”
 

This is a family affair. An unstinting love of the land handed down from generation to generation now flowing through [+] Read more

This is a family affair. An unstinting love of the land handed down from generation to generation now flowing through Serge Bigras’ veins and shared by his life and business partner Suzanne for the last 36 years. Their common passion has built Fermes Serbi into the leading rhubarb and staked tomato farm in Quebec.

From his father, Serge Bigras not only inherited a profound love of agriculture but also an outstanding flair for business. At 19, he left the family farm in Laval to start his own in Saint-Eustache, founding his business under the name Fermes Serge Bigras, later renamed Fermes Serbi. Like his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather before him, in true family tradition, he chose rhubarb as his start-up crop. "I was born in a rhubarb patch. We have been growing rhubarb from father to son for over four generations. I transplanted rhubarb from my father’s farm. Being a perennial, rhubarb can live for hundreds of years with the proper care. All it needs is rain, well-drained soil but also the warmth of the sun. Saint-Eustache’s rocky soil is perfect for growing rhubarb.”

Leading rhubarb producer in Quebec, Fermes Serbi is able to supply distributors and the province’s three major supermarket chains thanks to its large-scale production capacity. The Bigras family and its team of workers lavish care on over 50,000 rhubarb plants spread over some 10 hectares (25 acres) of high quality rhubarb grown exclusively for the fresh produce market. Rhubarb farming is demanding. It requires much care and is labour-intensive, requiring up to 30 workers during peak season. "Rhubarb is not a vegetable sold in large quantities. Every step of production must be carried out by hand, and production on les Fermes Serbi is done without using weed-killers or chemicals." Marketing fresh rhubarb must also be implemented according to trade practices to maximize its appeal and induce consumers to add some to their food basket. In 1996, Serge Bigras, President of Serbi Farms, developed an effective procedure to ensure his product retains its optimal freshness. As soon as the rhubarb is picked, it is immediately plunged into ice cold water and then packaged in 9-branch bundles. This way, the rhubarb is ready for sale and all the grocer needs to do is heap it in the produce display. Delivering a market-ready product, according to Serge, represents an additional advantage and makes it possible to sell more merchandise than ever. He also points out that, to remain crunchy and delicious, rhubarb must be refrigerated. "We only package the daily sale volume, so consumers are sure they’re buying freshly picked rhubarb.”

The first branches of Serbi rhubarb arrive in market and supermarket displays around May 20 and can be found as late as October. "We’re able to produce up to three crops a year and, for the past ten years or so, we have sold our greatest daily volume during strawberry-picking season in July. People have learned various new ways to cook and serve rhubarb.” Rhubarb is excellent in May and June but, if well-irrigated, it can remain as delicious all season long. Meticulous care ensures the plant's sustained quality. Lack of local labour has forced the company, who employs over 40 workers in peak growing season, to look to foreign agricultural workers for the last 15 years. "Labour is a major problem. Without foreign workers, we just couldn’t keep growing rhubarb.”

Pride
Serge Bigras, who has worked for many years to develop his market and raise the popularity of rhubarb among Quebeckers, is very proud of the progress made. He has set up a website giving rhubarb-lovers a lot of interesting information on this plant and over a hundred irresistible recipes, some of which have been in the family for many generations. His efforts have not been in vain and he believes he has been successful in bringing this vegetable back into style and is pleased by its renewed popularity. "Each bunch of rhubarb is packaged with a recipe to induce people to try it and make it part of their regular family fare.” The producer admits he cannot resist home-made stewed rhubarb topped with maple syrup.

Tomatoes and Cabbage
Over the years, Fermes Serbi has diversified its offering and is now specialized in tomato and cabbage production. Already a leading rhubarb producer, the Saint-Eustache company is also the largest staked tomato producer in Quebec. Its staked tomato fields cover over 20 hectares (50 acres) yielding some 60,000 boxes of tomatoes a year, i.e. 1,200,000 pounds of tomatoes. This crop requires very special care, as Serge Bigras points out. "It’s outdoor growing that resembles greenhouse growing. The plants are trained to grow up to 4 feet high like a vine. And, of course, we use no chemicals.” Always careful to remain at the leading edge of technology, Fermes Serbi uses trickle irrigation, a technique that contributes significantly to tomato quality.

For the Love of the Land
A member of an agro-environmental club, the Bigras family is part of a new generation of growers that takes to heart environmental responsibility and soil protection. "We leave nothing to chance. We have agronomists come to check our fields twice a week. They check for the presence of various insects, plant health, etc. It’s also important to refrain from polluting the land uselessly with chemicals. This year we have reduced to 0 % the use of weed-killers in all our fields.” According to Serge, this method aims to reduce residue in fields and helps to preserve the health of the soil as well as that of the workers and ultimately the consumer.

The New Generation
Suzanne and Serge Bigras have three children: two girls, Véronique and Marie-Ève, and a boy, Sébastien. At 28, the youngest member of the family is already stepping into Mom and Dad’s shoes. For the last decade, Sébastien has been managing the Groupe Serbi, the family company’s cabbage growing division. This division produces over 3 million pounds of cabbage per year. The spring and fall cabbage crops cover half the production land, i.e. 30 hectares (75 acres), therefore representing another of Fermes Serbi's major offerings. Using a system of controlled-atmosphere chambers, the Groupe Serbi can store cabbage to supply supermarkets almost year-round.

Serge Bigras is happy to have passed on to all his children his love of agriculture and to have been able to rely on Suzanne’s unfailing support. This little city girl, who now heads up the company’s packaging operations, was also seduced by the call of the land. In his early fifties, Serge Bigras, still very active within the company, is thinking of retiring but he does so with a sense of a job well done. "We have built all this for our kids and I would really like it if my children and grandchildren would continue where we left off. I was so lucky. I took over from my father and my son will take my place. I couldn't ask for more!"