Simon Parent from Novafruit was invited to give a conference on sustainable innovation during the Brunch-Conference called "Success, it has to be planned!". This activity, organised by the Agricultural Consulting Groups of Quebec(GCAQ) will be held on Friday March 8th, 2013 in Drummondville.

Info Brunch-Conférence.pdf

Desjardins' agricultural magazine, «Partenaires », dedicated its latest edition called « To become a world class business», to two entrepreneurs, including Simon Parent from Novafruit. The agricultural producers explain how they managed to position themselves on the world scene, thanks to a good management of human ressources, innovation, and the internationalization of their networks. Thank to Desjardins for this nice recognition of Novafruit's trajectory.! Click here to read the article.

Revue Partenaires Vol. 25 No. 1 - Hiver 2013.pdf

Simon Parent, owner of Novafruit, will give training on strawberry production systems to agricultors on Thursday, March 28th, 2013 at the Institut de Technologie Agroalimentaire (ITA) in Saint-Hyacinthe. For more information concerning the training and in order to enroll in it, click on the link below:

Simon Parent, owner of Novafruit, will give training intended for agricultors and their labour on strawberry production systems on Thursday, April 4th, 2013 at the Centre de Formation Agricole de Mirabel (CFAM). For more information concerning the training and in order to enroll in it, click on the link below:

Simon Parent of Novafruit was invited to give a conference on sustainable innovation during the Succession and Management Conference organised by the Young Agricultors Regional Center on February 20th 2013 in Saint-Bruno-Lac-St-Jean.

INVITATION BRUNCH RELÈVE ET GESTION.pdf

Novafruit was present at the annual meeting of the North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA) that was held from January the 27th until the 30th, jointly with the North American Raspeberry and Blackberry Association (NARBA) conferences. The meeting, which brought together 250 participants from all over North America, took place at the heart of one of the main berry production regions of the Unites States, in Portland, in the state of Oregon. We attended conferences of world-renowned researchers and visited the surroundings farms and the different strawberry and raspberry distribution networks.

After ten years experimenting, Novafruit is proud to present to you its new variety CLERY CIV® which has already become the standard of early strawberries in Quebec... Click here to see the specs sheet.

Fiche Technique CleryCiv web.pdf

We have the pleasure to share with you our five new CLERY CIV® posters available for printing. Please take note that already-printed posters are also available on demand.

Poster 1 CLERY CIV®.pdf

The nurserymen Simon Parent from Novafruit (Québec) and Jacques Bertrand from Martaillac (France) presented a joint conference at the coloquium on large tunnels organized by Plastitech in Saint-Rémi last December 7th. In a question-answer format, the Quebecois nurseryman and the participants presented to the French nurseryman the problems encountered in our small fruit culture tests under large tunnels, and M. Jacques Bertrand explained to us how they dealt with thoses issues in France.

Novafruit had the pleasure to present its first business stand at the Horticultural Conferences in St-Remi the past December 6th and 7th, where our new variety CLERY CIV® was exposed in fresh plug plants and trayplants. Its new specs sheet as well as little presents were also available... Thanks to all of you who came to see us!!

Another "Strawberries and Girafes" was organised by Novafruit on December 5th 2012 at the Granby Zoo. Nearly fourty participants attended a specialised and intensive training course on soilless strawberry and raspberry growing imparted by the nurseryman and grower JACQUES BERTRAND from Pépinières Martaillac in France.

This meeting allowed the participants to improve their comprehension of the different aspects of soilless growing, which is crucial in the context where thoses methods are in booming in Québec. Novafruit is proud to offer its clients as often as possible occasions to develop the knowledge and be informed on the the most recent developments and trends in the small fruits growing.

In order to make the event unforgettable and take advantage of the location's ambiance, an animal touch was opportune and we had the pleasure to be visited by two of the Zoo's ambassadors, the three bands armadillo and the barn owl. To complete the day, Novafruit offered to its guests a cocktail followed by a "highly esteemed" visit of the Granby Zoo's wings to meet the Himalaya Bear, the Tigre of Love and the turtles and sharks at the new South Pacific Pavilion.

Many thanks to our collegue and friend Jacques Bertrand from Pépinières Martaillac, as well as to all the participants and we hope to see you again at our next "Strawberries and Girafes" event!

Novafruit wishes to congratulate Ferme Onésime Pouliot inc. for becoming the regional winner of the first place of the Silver Category at the Ordre National du Mérite Agricole 2012. We wish you the best of success in the pursuit of your projects!

Novafruit wishes to congratulate Fraisière Faucher inc. for becoming the regional and national winner of the second place of the Bronze category at the Ordre National du Mérite Agricole 2012. In addition to this, they received the Prize Mérite Promutuel de la prévention. Well done for this triple win!

ONMA Cahiersouvenir.pdf

Novafruit wishes to congratulate Polyculture Plante 1987 inc. for becoming the regional and national winner of the first place of the Bronze Category at the Ordre National du Mérite Agricole 2012. Congratulations!

ONMA Cahiersouvenir.pdf

Novafruit wishes to congratulate Fraisebec inc. for winning the first place of the Agricultural Category of the Prix Desjardins Entrepreneurs 2012. Bravo!

Novafruit and Fraisebec participate in the elaboration of a report on autumn strawberries on the TV program "Découverte" of Radio-Canada broadcasted on September 30th, 2012.

This is the title of the article written by the journalist Etienne Fortin and published last September 15th in La Voix de l’Est, in which he interviews the strawberry producer David Côté from Damaco Produce in Saint-Paul d'Abbotsford. Indeed it’s time for autumn strawberries!

The article translates into English as follows:
« The apples are no longer the only queens in autumn. The months of September and October now get on well with the strawberry season... of autumn! The autumn strawberry picked between August and October actually makes up for the majority of the production of this small red fruit in Quebec.

Still unknown, the autumn strawberry allows producers to offer this fruit to Quebeckers close to six months per year. “The autumn strawberry can produce fruit on a continuous basis contrary to the summer strawberry which only produces around the St-Jean-Baptiste (June 24th). Nowadays, the strawberry season no longer lasts only two to three weeks, it continues until October 15th at the least” confides David Côté, fruit and vegetable producer in de Saint-Paul-d’Abbotsford.

He, who grows 300 000 autumn strawberry plants each year, fell for this production due, among other reasons, to its sweeter taste. “The taste changes as the months go by. The strawberry is more acid in the beginning of the season and the more time passes, the more we find livelier colors, a different taste and higher levels of sugar. The taste is better now”, he says with enthusiasm.

More and more popular
David Côté is not the only one to like autumn strawberries. This year, the Association of strawberry and raspberry producers of Quebec estimates there is around a hundred of Quebec producers that grow the autumn strawberry. “It arrived in Quebec about 15 years ago but then it was very experimental. Since five years, the number of producers has significantly increased and it can be seen much more in the grocery stores”, explains Sara Boivin-Chabot, research agent at the Association. The production of autumn strawberries represents however a logistical challenge for many producers who grow several types of fruit and vegetables. “Those who also grow apples can no longer put as much labour on the autumn strawberry. For the foreign labour it is however more interesting than before. Instead of coming for three weeks, they can have a stable job during five months”, explains Ms. Boivin-Chabot.

The Association estimates that the volume of autumn strawberries grown now surpasses the one of summer strawberries. The Quebec producers got interested in this agricultural product with the objective, among others, to compete better with their US neighbours. “Traditionally, we had strawberries during two weeks so we left the entire place to Florida and California strawberries. Nowadays, we offer close to six months of strawberries to Quebeckers”, she explains.

Still today, a good number of citizens does not know that the strawberry season goes as far as October and that they can still go and pick their own on some producers’ lands. The Association of strawberry and raspberry producers of Quebec intents to demystify the autumn strawberry and to convince Quebeckers to continue consuming this Quebec product until the production ceases. In Quebec, there is a total of 556 strawberry producers who produce a total of 9371 tons of fruit for a total value of 36 million dollars per year. The majority of the production is sold in Quebec”.

To celebrate the end of the high season, Novafruit had its own Olympic Games... 36 athletes coming from Guatemala and Canada, who sang their respective national hymn, 4 teams, 10 activities and for the closing ceremony of the games, a music show with the artist Mistysa (www.mistysa.com) and her musicians!

For its annual outing with its permanent workers, Novafruit looked for strong sensations... live the adrenaline of going rafting on the Jacques-Cartier River located only 20 minutes away from the city of Quebec!

Novafruit participated in the Summer Tour organised by the North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA) last August 14th and 15th in Halifax, capital of the province of Nova Scotia, located in the east of Canada. The activities included visits to the Burgess Baskets box factory, the Webster Farms in Cambridge, the Berwick Apple Dome, the Vital Berry, the G.W. Allen and Keddy nurseries, the Elmsdale Sobey's and Millen Farms in Debert , the Masstown Market and the Eikelenboom Vineyards.

Report by Hugo Lavoie on raspberries in tunnels grown at Productions Horticoles Demers with the agronomist Caroline Vouligny, for the radio program "Bien dans son assiette" from Radio-Canada.

On July 8th, 2012, the soccer league of the seasonal agricultural workers of St-Paul d’Abbotsford was officially launched at the Park.

Novafruit is proudly represented amongst the six teams of elite players, made up of workers mainly from Mexico and Guatemala. Soccer being practically considered as a religion in Latin-American countries, the level of the game is very high and the encounters are always very exciting to watch.

The games will take place every Sunday starting at 2pm, from July 8th until August 12th, and the Annual Tournament will be held on August 19th.

Come in a large number to support our players!!

Which strategies do Quebec strawberry producers use to extend their harvesting season from May until October?

July 6th 2012 episode –Interview with Simon Parent from Novafruit.

Host: Chantal Fontaine

Newsflash about Rose Drummond’s greenhouse strawberries broadcasted on the TV program “Les Chefs!” on June 25th, 2012.

On Friday June the 8th, NOVAFRUIT organised an exceptional event for its partners and friends... a strawberry tasting right in the middle of the African savannah of the Granby Zoo! As the lion roared, more than 75 people, including some 15 children, answered to our invitation and took advantage of this meeting filled with animal and taste discoveries. .

While the children visited the zoo’s backstage as VIP guests, the adults devoted themselves to gluttony... for the sake of science! All participants received a sheet to evaluate all twenty-three varieties in the tasting, with respect to the appearance, the texture and the taste. The amateur tasters then put a heart-shaped sticker on the 3 favorite varieties. After the tasting, the guests could savour the different cocktail snacks prepared with CleryCIV by the Zoo’s Chef, Jerry... What a delight!

Simon Parent, owner of Novafruit, then attracted the famous Garth near the terrace. This precious specimen is somehow considered as North America’s male giraffes’ Starbuck (it is he who made the prediction of TVQ’s hockey preliminary series). We decided to put our new variety CleryCIV to the test by letting Garth choose his favorite between Jewel and CleryCIV...Against all expectation, the giraffe never bit a strawberry after licking them all... He did however eat with much appetite, Jewel’s sheet of paper!

To see the pictures of this event, click on the following link (remember you need to be connected to Facebook to view this photo album).

On the front page of May 28th edition of the newspaper La Voix de l'Est one can read "The Strawberry Guru is in Saint-Paul". An entire page was dedicated to describing Simon Parent's career and how his nursery Novafruit acts as a lever in the strawberry industry of Quebec.

The website of the nursery Novafruit is now available in three languages: French, Spanish... and English! To go from one language to another, click on the language of your choice at the top right of the screen.

Share the good news!

"Novafruit, genetically innovative" is the title of the article of the Sring 2012 edition of Desjardin's agricultural magazine "Partenaires", in which Novafruit's trajectory and objectives are described. (in French)

Novafruit innovante.pdf

Novafruit organised an event on April 3rd 2012 at the Golf Club of Drummondville in order to demystify strawberry soilless growing and to give us the good technical tools to evolve in this sector during the years to come.

We had the privilege to benefit from the expertise of Alain Corre, an advisor and specialist in soilless strawberry in France, who managed to simplify the subject and go into the refinement of the growing method. Irrigation and fertilisation management as well as climatic control were explained to us in the smallest details. We ended the day with a visit at the Serres René Fontaine who was beginning his spring greenhouse soilless strawberry harvest.

Simon Parent, owner of Novafruit, somehow carries out a ‘’back to the roots’’ in this project which allowed him fifteen years ago to introduce himself to the strawberry world. As a matter of fact, ever since, he has worked to introduce the adapted varieties and to develop the types of plants necessary for the adoption of these new systems. We believe that the winning conditions are there and we are confident that the soilless strawberry growing will much develop in Quebec within the years to come.

To see the event’s photo album, become our friend on Facebook!

Simon Parent is invited to give a course on strawberry production systems at the ITA (Food Processing Institute) of St-Hyacinthe on March 28th 2012 to agricultural producers.

Simon Parent is invited to give a conference on strawberry growing systems in northern climates on March 28th 2012 during the Provincial Small Fruit Conference organised by the government of New Brunswick.

Conférence Provinciales Nouveau Brunswick.pdf

Simon Parent was invited to give a conference about the perspectives and news in the strawberry production of Quebec on March 21st, day dedicated to horticulture, in Saint-Bruno-du-Lac-St-Jean.

The MAPAQ (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec) regional direction of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean organised 10 days of regional agricultural conferences, which will take place from February 2nd until April 18th, 2012.

Journées conférences agricoles 2012.pdf .pdf

The animation that we can now appreciate when opening the website www.novafruit.ca, which shows a sketch of our berry nursery through the four seasons, is the artwork of the Guatemalan artist Marcos Molina. Now, it’s up to you to choose your favourite season to come and visit us!

ANIMATION VIDEO :

One of the objectives of the group of Quebecois present at the 7th symposium in Beijing was to present the candidateship of the city of Quebec as the host of the next International Strawberry Symposium which will take place in 2016.

During the week, meeting a new person also represented an opportunity to lobby and to talk about Quebec and its dynamic strawberry industry. Yves Desjardins, from the University of Laval, brilliantly presented himself as the host of the symposium and his candidacy received the large majority of the votes of the international scientific community. Congratulations!

Now, let’s prepared ourselves to make the 8th International Strawberry Symposium an unforgettable event for our guests!

The 7th version of the International Strawberry Symposium, organised by the ISHS, took place this year 2012 from the 18th to the 22nd of February in Beijing, the capital of China, and more particularly in the Chaoping district northwest of the city. This event, which takes place once every four years, gathered more than a thousand strawberry professionals such as scientists, growers, nurserymen, councillors, professors, and merchants, and offered a large quantity of conferences during which the latest news about the world’s strawberry industry were presented.

It was also an opportunity to meet new people, to greet friends met at previous symposiums, and to create or renew business relations.

So, Novafruit was not going to miss it, and especially considering that since the foundation of his company, Simon Parent, had promised himself to go to each of the upcoming symposiums in order to keep up-to-date with the industry’s latest advancements at the international level, and adapt them to the local one.

These meetings are a unique occasion to share know-how and good times with colleagues and strawberry friends in an inspiring context. China’s symposium impressed mainly due to its size and wide extent, and this, at all levels: many buildings dedicated exclusively to the symposium, hundreds of volunteers and workers, temporary and permanent expositions centers on different aspects of the strawberry...

Basically, it consisted in a week of work and pleasure in an unknown continent, a discovery of China with its rich culture and its long history, of the continuous whisper of a completely different language, the initiation to surprising tastes and flavours...

Looking forward to the next symposium in four years… in Québec!!!

We welcome you to the 2012 version of our website novafruit.ca. The website of the berries nursery, Novafruit, now offers you a clearer and faster access to the information concerning our products, such as a detailed description of the types of plants, varieties and systems, as well as of our services. In it, you will also find updated news about de company and the industry’s activities... and nice pictures!

Please take note that in order to have access to all the pages on the site an access code is required. If you wish to get one, please request it at: sparent@novafruit.ca

Enjoy your visit!

Since the end of November until the beginning of the month of December 2011, Simon Parent made an exploratory trip to Europe in order to visit different nurseries and farms, visit growers, nurserymen and advisors, and to participate to conferences and seminars in France and in the north of Italy.

He visited the most important strawberry nurseries of France and went to Prigonrieux, located east of Bordeaux, in the Aquitaine region, to participate in the CITFL where the annual general assembly of the AOPN, as well as numerous technical conferences, took place. He then left to Montpellier, capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon, southeast of France, in order to not miss the SITEVI, the most important fruit, vegetable and vine fair of France and this way, be informed about the latest innovations, products and services offered in the industry.

He then crossed the border towards Italy, where he visited the most important strawberry nurseries of that country, located in the region of Emilia-Romagna, in the north of Italy, and strengthened his business relations with them. It was a trip filled with nice encounters and with learning, which he will gladly share with his partners.

The animation that we can now appreciate when opening the website www.novafruit.ca, which shows a sketch of our berry nursery through the four seasons, is the artwork of the Guatemalan artist Marcos Molina. Now, it’s up to you to choose your favourite season to come and visit us!

INITIAL DRAWINGS : (Remember that you need to be connected to Facebook to see these images!)

It was a nice autumn evening, during the first days of the month of September, when a Guatemalan worker, William, was talking over his mobile phone right outside the workers’ house located on Novafruit’s site. Suddenly, he notices lights in the sky, right above the mountain of St-Paul d’Abbotsford a couple of hundreds of meters away.

A short moment after, his colleague Vicente was at the window and William told him to come and see what he was seeing. When Vicente met him outside, William ended his call and together they started watching the movements of these lights. Vicente was also incapable of determining the nature of what they were seeing in the sky. They described those five or six lights as round and making circular movements and at times linear ones. The lights appeared then disappeared, then reappeared, and this, several times during about twelve minutes. At times they acted simultaneously, at times one after the other, at times quickly and suddenly, and at times slowly. Sometimes they were all grouped together, and sometimes they acted separately or in small groups.

A third worker, Daniel, also came to join them outside and they asked him if he could see the lights. He apparently answered in a dubious way that yes he did but that he did not know what it was. When the lights stopped reappearing, William, Vicente and Daniel narrated what they had seen to their astounded colleagues.

NOVAFRUIT WILL BE PRESENT IN BEIJING – February 17th to 22nd 2012

Presented like the Olympic Games of strawberries, the 7th International Strawberry Symposium will offer its participants presentations and discussion panels concerning the latest research works in different aspects of the strawberry, going from hybridation, to multiplication, to production to marketing.

Nearly a thousand experts from 60 countries will meet during this memorable conference. The Chinese government and the city of Beijing have built, especially for this occasion, a complex with buildings and conference rooms with major investments. There are congress halls, and commercial exposition halls, permanent expositions concerning the strawberry, and a marvellous site where natural thermal baths can be found in an ancient royal garden, which makes it the most important thermal centre in China... Simply check out this video to understand the extent of this event.

The stars are aligned so that we can dream of an International Strawberry Symposium Quebec 2020!

(Remember that you need to be connected to Facebook to see these images!)

NOVAFRUIT WILL BE PRESENT IN LAS VEGAS – February 6th to 8th 2012

There is always a nice representation of Quebec in the NASGA winter congresses and you are all welcome. This is the best place to develop one’s contact network and fraternise with fellow members from everywhere throughout North America.

The organizing committee is planning for some great sessions which will include the latest in strawberry research, a focus on feature farms and interactive discussions on marketing and the use of social media.

Since a few years, the Desjardins Group, first financial association of credit unions in Canada and sixth in the world, organises an event whose objective is to give recognition and honour the persons and companies of Quebec and Ontario who contribute to the community in an exceptional way: The Desjardins Entrepreneur Awards.

Simon Parent decided to present his company to this contest in the Agricultural Award as well as in the Innovation and Productivity Award – Small business.

A few months after having sent his application, Simon Parent was invited to Montreal to attend the unveiling of the finalists of all 14 categories of this 6th edition of the Desjardins Entrepreneur Awards.

To the delight of its owner, Novafruit was chosen finalist of the Agricultural Category... and of the Innovation and Productivity Category!!

Incidentally, this news was published in the magazine Les Affaires in its edition of August the 20th, 2011.

Event organised by the Quebec Strawberry and Raspberry Growers Association.

Simon Parent will be part of the Berries Innovation Panel: discussion on the sector’s priorities and opportunities.

The Canadian magazine Country Guide, specialized in agricultural strategic and commercial information, published 10 times a year in two versions, West and East, titled the cover page of its February 1st , 2011 edition “Country Guide’s 12 most influential farmers in Canada”. Among those 12 persons was Simon Parent, owner of Novafruit inc. Here is the article dedicated to him:

"SIMON PARENT: redefining what it means to be a farmer in one of Canada’s oldest farm communities.

If you think influence comes with age, getting to know Simon Parent might help change your mind. At 33, he had already become a key figure in Quebec’s strawberry industry. Then, just a year ago, he became the president of the North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA).

Parent’s business is strawberry transplants. In 2002, he started Novafruit with respected nursery owner Alain Massé. In 2009, Massé’s mentorship ended. Parent bought a new site southeast of Montreal and injected a fresh dose of adrenaline into Novafruit.

The company’s inception was inspired by a readiness for change that Parent felt whenever he spoke with Quebec’s most innovative growers. Parent realized the proper varieties — and the proper technologies — were just not available up north. Novafruit would solve that problem, adapting transplant systems to local conditions.

Parent’s round face and timid smile could mislead you into thinking he’s even younger than his age. But his words soon make you realize he must have been doing research and trials, and also been travelling and problem solving for several years. His business has a sharp focus on developing and marketing the most productive types of strawberry plants, both for short-day and day-neutral systems.

In 10 years, Novafruit has become Quebec’s leading provider of strawberry plants in the form of plugs, tray plants and frigo plants. These technologies are more expensive, Parent admits. But they help farmers make more money by saving on labour and obtaining better yields, as well as by stretching the season both earlier and as late as October.

Now, Parent has become an agent of change in his industry. Convincing clients to adopt his technologies not only helps them produce more and better-quality strawberries, it helps Quebec strawberry growers keep an edge that is the envy of growers in Ontario and New England.

“We have a five-year technological advance,” Parent says. Quebec may produce only 12,000 tonnes of strawberries annually, but in terms of total area used to grow them, it ranks third, after California and Florida.

Nowhere else in Canada have local strawberry growers maintained as large a market share as in Quebec, where they have approximately two-thirds of supermarket shelf space during the season. Fighting back against U.S. imports may just be a matter of national pride.

That pride may also be what attracted NASGA to Montreal last August, for its Summer Tour 2010. “Our producers are seen as the elite of production in this part of the continent,” Parent says. “Visitors tell us we have the reflex of always rethinking our production practices.”

Since Novafruit’s success depends on its clients’ success at not only growing but also selling strawberries, Parent is speaking directly to buyers. He does so as a board member of the recently formed “Coordination Chamber” of the Quebec Strawberry Growers Association (APFFQ), a committee that brings together growers, wholesalers and grocers to discuss and plan the supply of fresh, local strawberries and raspberries to supermarkets across the province.

Parent doesn’t grow the strawberries, but growers have come to trust him as a reliable spokesperson. National media know Parent is only a phone call away. And Parent knows any opportunity to boast local strawberries is an opportunity to make his business, and that of his clients, even more profitable."

Conference on soil-less cultivation presented by Simon Parent from Novafruit

présentation Novafruit St-Rémi congrès.pdf

On the occasion of the North American Strawberry Symposium (NASS), the North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA), in collaboration with the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), organised a congress in Tampa, Florida, from February 8th to 11th, 2011.

A growers’ tour and visits to fields were made in the surroundings of Plant City, near Tampa. The owner of Novafruit and president of NASGA, Simon Parent, participated in the event.

COMPLETE SUMMARY ON THE NASGA WEBSITE (NASGA MEMBERS ONLY)

2nd PLACE at a REGIONAL LEVEL in BRONZE MEDAL CATEGORY

March 29th 2012 - Food processing technology Institute of St-Hyacinthe - 9am to 4pm
Class offered by the Direction of Continuous Education

TV Interview of Simon Parent on RDI Économie concerning the strawberry market.

CORNELL UNIVERSITY SMALL FRUITS WEBINAR

Web-conference presented by Simon Parent

Article in the Farmers' Bulletin (Bulletin des Agriculteurs) (December 2012) – Interview of Simon Parent from Novafruit

Quebec is the third most important strawberry producer in North America in terms of surface, after California and Florida. We are considered by our peers as leaders in the development of new production systems.

Scan5.pdf

On June 10th, 2010, around fifty guests, from different provinces and states, accepted our invitation to a dining cocktail to celebrate with us the launching of the new production site of Novafruit.

Indeed, after seven years in operations, Novafruit acquired in 2009 of a new site for the production of small fruits plants: a nursery especially designed for the multiplication of strawberry and raspberry plants in soil less culture. Located at the foot of the Mount Yamaska, in St-Paul d’Abbotsford, the site offers a very favourable climate, excellent quality water, a protected environment, and of easy access for our clients. An investment of nearly one million dollars was necessary to acquire and transform a land of thirteen hectares into a small fruit plant nursery, with buildings for refrigeration, a garage, a warehouse, an office, a house for the seasonal workers, a basin, an irrigation system, a drainage system, and so much more. These new infrastructures allow us to improve our growing conditions and to continue to offer you the best products and the best services in the industry.

It is also during this occasion that we had the pleasure to present CLERY CIV®, our brand new strawberry variety, which is the result of five years of experimentations. In order to know more about it, we were fortunate to be in the presence of its hybrider, Alessio Martinelli, who came from Italy especially for the occasion. We are convinced that this new very early cultivar bearing excellent quality fruits will cause a major impact in our markets during the years to come. Served alone or with melting chocolate, it was enjoyed by our guests!

Watch the pretty pictures of this event through the following link... (Remember that you need to be connected to Facebook to see these images!)

Firstly, says the businessman, a persistent myth must be discredited. “There are still too many who believe that the strawberry season in Quebec begins on Saint-John-Baptist Day and ends mid-July. With new cultivars and new growing methods, we are capable of modifying the production season, to be productive six months a year”, explains the young nurseryman.

Article on growing in high tunnels written by the Horticultural Observatory of the Horticulture Council of Quebec (in French).

At the other end of the telephone line, Simon Parent confides: “When one is in business, family is a precious support, of course. However, with his great experience, my mentor has a unique way of looking at things. He is somebody who is completely neutral, who has a global vision and who is there for me to discuss of what matters to me as an entrepreneur.” (article in French)

(Remember that you need to be connected to Facebook to see these pictures!)

(Remember that you need to be connected to Facebook to see these pictures!)

Novafruit recommends you visit this website! (in French)

On August 17th and 18th 2010, more than a hundred growers from different Canadian provinces and American states participated to the NASGA Summer Tour 2010. This event, organised by NASGA (North American Strawberry Growers Association), consisted in two days of visits at the heart of the strawberry industry in the Montreal region.

The first day, the two buses left very early in the morning, filled with 110 participants, to discover the fascinating functioning of Montreal’s Central Market where transactions between farmers and wholesalers take place all night long until the early morning. They were then brought to the region of the Laurentides to visit the farm of Quebec’s largest strawberry producer, Fraisebec, where the assisted to strawberry harvesting, plug plant planting and to the presentation of Plastitech high tunnels. At noon, a contry-style lunch was offered by the DM Sauriol Farm during which were heard presentations by APFFQ (Quebec Strawberry and Raspberry Growers Association) representatives. The participants also visited the kiosk, which offered a generous variety of fruits and vegetables and heard the presentation of Michel Sauriol, owner of the place. The day ended with a stop at the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal where each one could take the opportunity to buy local products, which in fact, probably had been brought from the Central Market visited earlier that same morning...

The following day, the Montérégie region was visited starting with a delicious breakfast at the Denis Charbonneau Orchard where the participants were lucky – by pure coincidence – to see a hot-air balloon land right before their eyes on the orchard’s lands. Then, they visited the A.Massé nursery where the owner gave a presentation about the North American strawberry industry and presented different machinery used in bare-root plant nurseries. The participants then went back on the road towards Novafruit where they could meet with exhibitors and know their products (Dubois Agrinovation, Plant Prod, Hortau, Distributions Robert Legault (Berger), Récoltech). They also took advantage of the presence of the Vergers de la Colline to savour their ciders and drinks. Simon Parent gave a guided tour of his nursery and then invited the participants to walk towards the Chalet de l’Erable for a typical sugarhouse lunch with traditional music and dance... in the middle of August! The next stop took place at the Fraisière RouG.I. where it was possible to learn more about strawberry marketing through a varied supply of food products, and to see a demonstration of a mechanical destoloner proposed by Récoltech. To end this tour, the participants visited the strawberry museum and had a tasting of alcoholic strawberry drinks at Fraises Louis Hébert.

Here are some pictures of these pleasant moments... (Remember you need to be connected to Facebook to see these pictures!)

Communique visite du NASGA 2010.pdf

The production of strawberries and raspberries in the countries of the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) uses the world’s most advanced techniques and it is often from there that new horticultural trends start as much for production as for marketing. A small group of growers from Quebec made an exploratory trip to this region during autumn 2008.

Strawberry growing has greatly evolved over the past twenty years. Certain growing regions still remain very traditional and anchored in past values whereas other have taken a marked technological turn towards very intensive productions destined to mass markets. This movement has a repercussion on the marketing of local products with strong value-added, which permit growers to obtain a price directly related to the origin and the quality reputation. We received the kindest welcome from the Criée of Wépion team, which guided us through their industry and shared their knowledge and passion. This clock market commercialises 400 tons of strawberries per year with a network of 15 producers, compared to larger Criées who distribute more than 400 tons per day! Growing techniques used by this group are often in bare-ground though more and more members are taken a turn towards soilless. It was surprising to notice how growing strawberry plants on substrate had become a common practice among all the generations of growers.

In the Flemish region (North), we met much more intensive growers who massively use greenhouses and soilless crops in order to produce as long as possible strawberries of very high commercial quality destined to large distribution. We visited of Criée de Borgloon and of Hoogstraten, which commercialise, for several hundreds of producers, up to 400 tons of strawberries per day in a sale system with dial (inverted auction) . We were impressed with the rigorous classification based on the calibre (3 calibres) and the quality (5 quality levels) which is translated into a difference marked on the prices. The fruit batches arrive at the warehouse during the evening, they are inspected and classified, and in the morning, they are evaluated by the buyers and sold at the clock, often in less than an hour. Formerly, the clock face was a clock that rotated counterclockwise with a decreasing price until a buyer stops the clock to get the batch at the indicated price. Today, everything is computerised and the sales are made over the Internet but the larger buyers keep on coming to inspect the batches. This sale structure developed in Belgium and in the Netherlands since many years also exists in Canada, mainly in the flower domain. It enables to obtain the right price according to the quality of the fruit, which is determined by the market’s daily supply and demand.

Raspberries are grown mainly around the region of Tongeren, in the East of the country. Following the fast increase of growing superficies over the past years, the prices have recently dropped, making the crop not very profitable, which leaves the growers baffled as for the futur of the production. The techniques used are still very varied and each grower develops his own growing scheme. Some favour double-cropping varieties in long-lasting crops with a plantation in spring followed by a harvest in autumn, sometimes followed by a second harvest a spring depending on the stem’s ----. The non double-cropping varieties such as Tulament are generally grown from long canes that are conditioned and conserved in cold rooms, whether in pots or bare-root, and are forced at different moments of the year. These plants are often alternated with plants bred on an area of the nursery outside the high tunnels, which increases a lot the manipulation with respect to double-cropping varieties but enables to program the fruit harvest better. Finally, the blackberry bushes are bred on long canes over an area of the nursery and then conserved in cold rooms before being planted under shelters and forced at different moment of the year according to the market. It is common, with blackberry bushes as with strawberry plants, to move the planting of dormant plants in order to spread the harvest period..

Here are some pictures from this trip...(Rememberyo need to be connected to Facebook to see these pictures!)

Article from the Bulletin des Agriculteurs - June 2007 (in French)

novafruit.pdf

Since the year 2005, the Financière Agricole du Québec offers an excellence grant to new agricultural entrepreneurs for their professional aptitudes and their management qualities through the award “Turn towards excellence”.

For the 2006 version, the winner was Simon Parent from Novafruit.

A few years later, the Financière Agricole made a « retrospective » video in order to know what the winners of this award were up to. WATCH THE VIDEO:

Gagnant Concours Financière Agricole 2006.docx

Article about Novafruit published in The Presse newspaper in 2004. (in French)

Article in the magazine Réussir Fruits & Légumes (France, June 2002) )

Special collaboration of Simon Parent, Novafruit (in French).