Communiqué de presse
Press Release
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$27M investment for Les Serres Lefort
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Serres Lefort becomes one of the largest producers of
organic greenhouse vegetables in North America
Ste-Clotilde-de-Châteaugay, March 11, 2016 – Sylvain Lefort, President and General Manager of Les Serres Lefort is proud to announce a $27M investment for the construction of 8 greenhouse hectares that will be used to produce organic vegetables for the North American market, thus creating approximately 60 jobs. This important investment will make Les Serres Lefort one of the largest producers of organic greenhouse vegetables in North America. The company will produce organic vegetables including cucumbers and mini cucumbers on an annual basis and bell peppers on a seasonal basis, from March to December. In terms of numbers, this means that Les Serres Lefort will now produce over 500,000 cases of cucumbers and 250,000 cases of peppers every year.
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Targeted positioning
It is with great enthusiasm that Sylvain Lefort, accompanied by his wife and business partner, Marie-Josée Lebire, and Julie Lefort, Vice-president of Innovation and Development, spoke about how proud he is that his company is positioning itself to meet the new realities of today’s market and that Quebec will gain a competitive edge in the field of organic greenhouse production. “It’s time that we stopped watching our out-of-province competitors and that we use our own resources and expertise to develop our industry. This is the beginning of a great adventure that will hopefully snowball in an industry that deserves to grow. Agriculture represents an important key in terms of economic development for Quebec, and we are proud to be able to contribute to it today. I would also like to salute the financial partners who helped secure this project. Thank you to Desjardins Entreprises, the FONDS de solidarité FTQ and Investissement Québec,” said Sylvain Lefort.
Julie Lefort added that: “Agriculture in Quebec can become a production model on a global scale if we use our energies and efforts to carry out projects based on our values and responsibilities to the environment and the health of future generations.”
About Les Serres Lefort
Founded in 1984, Les Serres Lefort produces 65% of plant grafts in Quebec for producers of field crops. The company is also contracted to produce a large share of greenhouse lettuce sold under the Mirabel label. Since 2013, the company has been marketing greenhouse vegetables under the VÔG and VÔG BIO brands. Today, 100% of the company’s production of cucumbers, mini cucumbers and peppers for consumers are sold under the VÔG brand and are certified organic by the Québec Vrai certification organization. By the end of this year, Les Serres Lefort will be operating 20 hectares on Ste-Clotilde-de-Châteaugay, making it the largest greenhouse operation on one site in the province of Quebec.
Stéphane Billette, whip en chef du gouvernement et député d’Huntingdon, Julie Lefort, Vice-présidente innovation et développement de Serres Lefort, Marie-Josée Lebire, Vice-présidente de Serres Lefort, Sylvain Lefort, Président de Serres Lefort, Lise Thériault, Vice-première ministre, ministre responsable des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises, de l’Allègement réglementaire et du Développement économique régional, ministre responsable de la Condition féminine et ministre responsable de la région de Lanaudière, Pierre Paradis, ministre de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation
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For more information on Les Serres Lefort, please visit www.culturevog.com
Source :
Agro Québec
514 268-6285