Jan 20, 2022

Hydroponic berry growing operation sets up shop in Ontario

Ever Tru Farms, a new Ontario-based and entirely vertically integrated berry producer of scale, has entered the market in a way that will revolutionize the strawberry market in North America. Ever Tru Farms will launch with its first crop this March, using a sustainable hydroponic growing process that leads to a better, more consistent, and locally grown product.

Ever Tru Farms’ dynamic leadership team has decades of experience in the greenhouse and hydroponic growing industries. The team consists of Paul J. Mastronardi, head of sales and marketing, Guido van het Hof, president of Great Northern Hydroponics, as well as participation from Jim DiMenna, president of Red Sun Farms.

“We are one team, with one focus: to deliver consistently delicious strawberries, every time. We are confident in our strategy, but more importantly, our process,” Paul J. Mastronardi said in a news release.

“We are moving into the strawberry category as a united front,” said Guido van het Hof, president of Great Northern Hydroponics. “Through reconstructing and adapting the approach that brought us so much success with other produce, we have developed a growing strategy for strawberries that achieves unparalleled taste and consistency.”

The Ever Tru team spent six years refining the growing process and creating the perfect formula, ensuring they were ready to hit the ground running with a superior product. From propagation to distribution, and every stage in between, having the entire operation under one team allows them complete control of the growing process, ensuring that only the best strawberries are being produced and brought to market. Greenhouse grown, using an impressive hydroponics system, these strawberries are locally cultivated year-round in a controlled environment with optimum growing conditions, no pesticides, and non-GMO.

Ever Tru Farms is targeting an aggressive expansion plan, and on track to have 1 million square feet of hydroponic growing space online in January of 2022, with an additional 1 million square feet by this coming fall. LED supplemental lighting allows for year-round production, meaning EverTru Farms will be producing 30,000 cases of strawberries a week to start, with expected growth of up to 45,000 cases in the near future.

Soave Enterprises is a Detroit-based, privately held company with significant investments and operations in real estate, agriculture and automotive.  Its real estate encompasses more than $5 billion of development across several states.

Paul J. Mastronardi is the 30-year-old son of Jamie Mastronardi, managing partner/co-owner at Red Sun Farms, and is a third-generation greenhouse grower and distributor. He has carried on the family legacy of demonstrated leadership in sustainability and greenhouse innovation. At the age of 25, he was on Greenhouse Canada’s Top 10 under 40 list. He is a graduate of Wayne State University and is considered a leader in the produce industry.