Demand for locally-grown produce on the rise
With supply chains facing more challenges these days, there's a movement growing in Calgary that may reduce the number of links the supply chain needs to get from farm to your table.
That's because there are a number of urban farmers in the Calgary area growing fresh produce every day.
Ryan Wright is the CEO and cofounder of NuLeaf Farms in southeast Calgary. They've been in business since 2016 and sell home growing kits for home owners but have developed technology to grow produce on a much larger scale for commercial operations.
"Since the pandemic there's been a growing interest in people being able to grow at home and now with even more supply chain disruptions, inflation, kind of pick your problem, people are more concerned about having food accessible to them all the time," he said.
Wright says the beauty with locally-grown produce is it's picked the day it shipped to customers and that triples the time it lasts in the refrigerator.
"We sell to restaurants, we sell to local retailers and we sell directly to people in the surrounding community," said Wright. "We've seen all three silos of those businesses pick up."
Hydragreens Produce is newer to the game, being in business for less than a year. Marc Schulz is its president.
"We grow lettuce, a variety of herbs, basil, thyme, oregano, and microgreens," he said.
Schulz says many people don't realize how much produce is grown in the region year round.
"We don't grow apples or pears or anything else here but we can grow quick turning lettuces and greens," said Schulz. "All that green stuff that's good for you but also that's available, we can have that available here in Calgary."
He says it takes an average of six weeks to grow from seed to harvest and he says more people want to buy local.
"There's a lot of customers looking to to get more local," said Schulz. "So a grocery store's customers are asking to be more local and more sustainable."
Dan Berezan is the founder of CultivatR, a home delivery service for locally-grown produce and other items. He's also seeing business increasing.
"The biggest thing is people are starting to realize the advantages of eating local," he said. "And that's kind of our big advantage is that everything we sell is local."
He says right now many urban farmers are limited to what they can grow but that's changing as demand increases.
"You know, we've got all these great producers doing amazing things," said Berezan. "Maybe we can't grow avocados yet but you know, it's what we talk about and the technology is there, it's just we need people to support it and it's an opportunity to really grow businesses in Alberta."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Courteney Cox says her partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in therapy
Courteney Cox's longtime partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in a therapy session.