Greenhouse Vegetables
While locally-grown fruits and vegetables are seasonal and organics cost more, greenhouse-grown produce is always available to Detroit wholesalers. “Our proximity to indoor cultivation in Leamington, Ontario provides wholesalers with a year-round supply of key crops,” Carmody explains.
Based in Southwest Ontario (less than 40 miles from downtown Detroit), Leamington’s greenhouse industry has exploded in recent years. Ontario is home to nearly 2,550 acres of vegetable greenhouses, and more than 2,000 of those are based in the Leamington and Kingsville area. The industry expanded by about 150 acres in 2014 alone.
“Greenhouse has been a big growth area for us,” Russo observes. “Growers have really done a good job in the way of quality, producing better products and more volume.” And although demand for organics is not skyrocketing, there has been a slight uptick. “Organics are growing, but at a slow pace,” he confirms. “Rocky Produce sells organics, mostly berries and apples. If we’re already doing business with someone and they have an organic offering, we’ll bring it in and try to push it to retailers.”