Dauphin is on the cusp of becoming the province’s tomato capital as a new greenhouse complex nears completion
The demand for horticultural and greenhouse workers is shooting upward in Manitoba, thanks to a new and massive enterprise in Dauphin.
Vermillion Growers has nearly finished construction on a greenhouse complex that’s more than 10 acres in size.
Once up and running, likely in September, the company will need dozens of workers to take care of the tens of thousands of plants inside the giant greenhouse.
“We’re just finishing up the build and the plants arrive at the end of August,” said Maria Deschauer, managing director of Vermillion Growers.
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“This first phase will be (just) one crop… tomatoes on the vine — that cluster of five tomatoes on one vine.”
Most of the tomatoes from the largest greenhouse in the province, will be distributed to grocery stores in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
However, Vermillion Growers is focused on production of tomatoes, not sales.
It has a marketing partner, Red Sun Farms of Kingsville, Ont., which will handle the marketing and sales.
“Basically, all our product (will be) going into their existing distribution lines,” Deschauer said.
The tomatoes grown in Dauphin will displace imported tomatoes. About 90 percent of tomatoes sold at prairie grocers in winter come from Mexico and the southern United States.
Vermillion should be operational soon, but it took years to get the company to this point.
Deschauer’s brother, Lucky, spent decades working in construction and property development. He retired from construction but maintained an interest in greenhouses. He grew up in rural Manitoba and built greenhouses with his dad.
“At the age of 15, he began building experimental greenhouses… including a 20-foot-high glass greenhouse to grow vegetables in the winter,” says information on the Vermillion Growers website.
After touring southern Ontario, Lucky was convinced that Dauphin was a suitable site for a large scale greenhouse. It is centrally located between Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon and the cold winters aren’t a huge problem.
“It’s easier to heat a greenhouse than to cool one,” Maria told the Manitoba Co-operator in 2020.
Vermillion broke ground on the greenhouse in 2019, with a plan of growing tomatoes by 2021, but the pandemic threw a wrench into the construction timeline.
Now that production is around the corner, Deschauer is focused on finding employees to work at Vermillion Growers.
So far, they have hired about eight staff but they will soon need more.
By the end of 2024, Deschauer expects to have 15 acres of greenhouse production and 45 employees. Then, Vermillion plans to add another 15 acres of indoor cultivation.
“We did advertise. We got a lot of responses,” she said.
“We have dipped our toes into the Ukrainian newcomers… it’s a really good fit for the community of Dauphin.”
Vermillion is also partnering with Assiniboine Community College to train a group of horticultural workers.
In June, ACC announced a tuition-free horticultural production program for Metis, First Nations and Inuit people living off reserve.
The nine-month program will happen at the ACC campus in Dauphin, starting July 24.
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples is covering the cost of the program.
“There is such a shortage of people who have horticultural and greenhouse experience across Canada,” Deschauer said. “Anyone going through this program… will have an opportunity almost anywhere in Canada. But of course, we’re going to want to hire them after they complete their training.”
The program has space for 15 and the students will get practical experience at Vermillion Growers.