GoodLeaf Farms supports innovative agriculture in Québec

The Canadian vertical farming company, GoodLeaf Farms, is on track to open a climate-controlled indoor farm in the Montreal suburb of Longueuil by the middle of 2023.

The new farm, which has been supported by a CA$7 million loan from the Government of Québec and several smaller grants from various economic development agencies including Développement économique de l'agglomération de Longueuil (DEL), is being built on boul. Clairevue site, in close proximity to Highway 20 and the St. Hubert-Longueuil Airport. The 100,000ft2 vertical farm will produce 1.9 million pounds of microgreens and baby greens for grocery stores and the hospitality sector across Quebec, with capacity to also service Atlantic Canada.

The project is expected to create more than 70 new jobs – many of them cutting-edge technology and skilled positions – with additional economic spinoffs in Longueuil as GoodLeaf will use local vendors for many of the components that are being used in the build and operation of the farm.

With Quebec's limited growing season, most open-field farms can harvest one crop a year, where GoodLeaf's climate-controlled indoor farms are able to grow and harvest more than 40 crops of a microgreen each year, and more than 20 crops of a baby green – a dramatic increase in productivity.

The farm also provides a local food source for a product that is typically imported – as much as 90% of the leafy greens on store shelves in Quebec are trucked in from the southwestern United States. Growing these greens locally and reducing the number of trucks on the road reduces carbon emissions significantly.

GoodLeaf's system is also free of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, has no risk of fertilizer run off into local water sources, and uses 95% less water than the same crops in an open-field farm. The cutting-edge technology used in vertical farming results in a sustainable solution for farmers, retailers, the food service sector and consumers.

GoodLeaf's farms supports a reliable and consistent source of microgreens and baby greens in Canada year-round, no matter the season, climate, or weather. The plants are grown in a complex hydroponics system to feed nutrient-rich water to the plants, and specialized LED lights that are engineered to mimic the spring sun – ideal conditions for plants to maximize photosynthesis – feeding growth, nutrition and flavor.

GoodLeaf Farms grows microgreens and baby greens including pea shoots, micro radish, spinach, arugula, and spring mix.

"GoodLeaf is building a national network of vertical farms, ensuring Canadians from coast to coast have access to fresh, sustainably and locally grown leafy greens year round," commented Barry Murchie, CEO, GoodLeaf Farms. "Our new farm in Longueuil is perfectly located to support all consumers across Quebec via retailers and food service operators. We are excited to work with the visionary partners in Quebec who have astutely created a Provincial strategy recognizing the need for innovative new approaches to agriculture. In the near future, Quebec and Canada will gain greater control of our food security and dramatically reduce the dependency on imported produce."

"Thanks to its strategic geographical location, its supply of green energy and a large pool of 'locavores', Greater Montréal is a very fertile ground for companies such as GoodLeaf," added Alexandre Lagarde, Vice President, Foreign Investments, Montréal International. "Vertical farming technology brings to our plates fresh and sustainable food that is grown, manufactured and produced within our region, which is perfectly aligned with a very popular tendency! It also helps reduce carbon emissions and other pollutants, another important objective for Montréal International as we seek to develop a green, sustainable economy."