Tens of thousands of English cucumbers are finally growing in the Serres Toundra in Saint-Félicien. Soon the vegetables will be harvested and sold in over 400 supermarkets across Quebec.
Production will begin on the 22nd November in the greenhouses that house 65,000 plants that grow between 5-7cm a day. Thousands more cucumbers will be planted at the beginning of next week and many more in 20 or so days. Eric Dubé is pleased that production is finally happening and says “One could say that it is ‘mission accomplished’. We respected timings and our budget. We are happy to see it all take shape”.
Their annual 17 million tons of English cucumbers and 27 million tons of Lebanese cucumbers will be on offer in stores belonging to the Sobeys Quebec group and one other major partner (announcement to be made in a few weeks).
The Serres Toundra have the most advanced greenhouse technology in Canada, which originally comes from Holland. A computer with almost 700 settings ensures that conditions are optimal for cucumber growth. To help familiarise the Serres Toundra with the technology, Dutchman Richard Roeloss will be the Head of Crops for the first two years, then the current Assistant to the Head, Catherine Barthe, will take over.
Eric Dubé believes that the technology will not only enable them to stand out, but also have the highest possible green vegetable production.