Excitement has been growing for a while, and finally, Vermillion Growers is open for production.
The 8-year-long wait came to an end with a ribbon-cutting celebration where owners, investors, and provincial dignitaries all came out in celebration.
From left to right, Minister of Agriculture Derek Johnson, Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski, Deputy Mayor Christian Laughland, and Reeve Ernie Sirski all showed up to wish congratulations to this new industry.
Maria Deschauer, co-founder and managing director for Vermillion Growers was elated to host this event and to kick off operations.
"I'm almost speechless, and it truly almost brings me to tears because our Vermillion Grower's team has worked hard for many years for this to come to fruition. so yeah, just ecstatic. Our entire team is humming with energy, and ready for the next phase of operations"
The operational phase is no small feat either. Deschauer notes that once all the tomatoes are planted, a whopping 10 million pounds of tomatoes could be produced per growing year.
According to Deschauer, that's just the beginning as well.
"In an ideal world, we would be adding another 5 acres next year, and then another 15 acres, and then another 15 acres the following year. This is a very scalable project, and we want to scale it up as quickly as possible."
The Greenhouse is an impressive structure, featuring eco-friendly innovation from high-efficiency patterned windows, rainwater reservoirs, CO2 recyclers, and hyper-efficient watering systems capable of growing tomatoes all the way to the ceiling of the facility.
The technology doesn't stop there, as on-rail scissor lifts will be used to harvest these towering tomato behemoths, and robots will be used to assist in moving the harvest from the lifts to the sorting and packaging areas.
Vermillion is currently under contract and will be selling their tomatoes through Red Sun Farms, which you'll be able to find at the local Co-op.
As well, Vermillion is looking to grow their staff. If you have an interest in horticulture or happen to have particularly green thumbs, Vermillion Growers might be a place for you to apply.
To follow the growth of this budding industry, check out their website at Vermilliongrowers.com to stay up to date on all the juicy goings-on at Manitoba's soon-to-be biggest tomato producer.
