"We can finally meet the demand again"

"With this new greenhouse we can finally meet the demand again", says Lisa Kouwenberg of Foliera, a Canadian potted tropical plant farm. They are currently in the middle of their spring season, and their new 7900m2 is filled of plants that are gradually being shipped out to independent garden centers, food chains and big bock stores all over Ontario, Quebec and NE USA.

In 2014, the owners Lisa and her husband John Kouwenberg had a vision of expanding their existing 11500m2 greenhouse in Southern Ontario. "We grow a large variety of succulents, ferns and tropical plants here. Over the years, we've seen demand rising. At a certain point, demand was greater than supply, so we decided to expand", says Lisa. They contacted their partners that supported them to build the other greenhouse on their property.

With the help of Dutch greenhouse builder Havecon, one of their partners, Lisa and John's vision turned into concrete plans in 2015 and at the end of August 2016, the construction work of the 7,900 m2 took off. The foundation was completed early September, after which the steel structure was erected very quickly. Halfway through October the roof and gables were already closed, and the work on the internal systems could be started. In January 2017 the concrete floors were poured, and the heating system could be installed, together with the transportation system. Just like in the other greenhouse, a moving gutter system is being used.

The expansion was taken into service at the end of April. Each table contains one type of plants, and different types are spread throughout the greenhouse. A small area is reserved for plants to be put directly on the flood floors.

A variety of colorful plants are put directly onto the floor, sorted by color. (source photo: Havecon)

For more information

Foliera

Lisa Kouwenberg 

Email: lisakouwenberg@foliera.com