JPL Maraîcher, vegetable producer for four generations
The JPL Maraîcher farm was built by Jean-Paul Leblanc and Doris Gosselin in 1968. The farm bought from his father, Georges Leblanc, was dedicated to farm-market agriculture, dairy and pig farming. At that time, Jean-Paul grew a wide variety of vegetables to evaluate promising markets and soil possibilities. He finally opted for rutabagas, carrots, turnips and beetroots. Initially, of the 70 acres of land available on the Bellechasse farm, 20 were devoted to growing vegetables, and the remaining 50 acres were grown as cereals for crop rotation.
Jean-Paul and his father Georges around 1967, harvesting rutabagas by hand
Rutabagas ready for underground storage
In 1993, Jean-Paul and Doris’s two sons, Serge and Yvan, joined the farm, and in 2000, their sister Sylvie decided to join the family business as well. Sylvie is responsible for the accounting of the three companies, personnel management, quality management, and vegetable sales. Yvan is in charge of the maintenance and manufacturing of the machinery. The farm’s large machinery fleet consists of 20 tractors and several machines equipped with the lasted technology.
Most equipment (weeders and harvesters) are built directly on the farm to meet the specific needs of the farm and increase its efficiency.
Serge is mainly responsible for the management of vegetable and grain fields, as well as grain marketing. Effective management is needed to minimize the use of pesticides by screening daily and using GPS technology for maximum accuracy. This is why JPL Maraîcher is part of an agri-environmental club for field screening. With the help of an agronomist, Serge does the essential screening and management of CanadaGap in the field. They also use camera-assisted weeders for environmental protection purposes. Serge is also in charge of research and development with Yvan.
The company has developed a water-recycling project and a shoreline-restoration project by planting trees on the land to preserve riparian strips and wildlife. These projects are still ongoing and are a great concern for the family members who wish to continue to move forward.
Picture on the left : Sylvie in the production section
Picture in the middle : Yvan at the mechanical workshop
Picture on the right : Serge screening a rutabaga field
A team of about 30 employees, including 11 foreign workers, ensures the company’s success and the satisfaction of each customer
Jean-Paul and Doris with the gold medal certificate dating 1920 awarded to Georges Leblanc, Jean-Paul’s father
Jean-Paul passed away on December 15, 2012
In 2019, the total area of cultivated land is 1,500 acres. JPL Maraîcher’s vegetables are divided up on land as follows: 260 acres of rutabagas, 120 acres of carrots, 10 acres of turnips and 10 acres of beetroots. In addition, 900 acres of grains (corn, flax, wheat, soy, oats, rye, and barley) are required to make the rotations owned by Semences Leblanc. Of the 900 acres of cereals, 350 acres are dedicated to seed cereals (oats, barley, rye, and flax). The Leblanc Bio division operates 220 acres dedicated to the organic production of red beetroots, potatoes, carrots, soy, and prairies.
JPL Maraîcher produces over 10 million pounds of vegetables every year which are distributed throughout major food chains such as Loblaws, Métro, Sobeys as well as many wholesalers and processors.
The company’s priority, above all, is the quality of its products. That is why it was one of the first companies to join the CanadaGap program. In addition, it serves its customers with exceptional speed throughout the year, since it stores its vegetables over a period of ten months.
As a vegetable producer, JPL Maraîcher knows very well the importance of storage. That is why all its vegetable warehouses are always equipped with controlled ventilation. By closely monitoring humidity, temperature and ventilation every day, the company is able to maximize storage conditions and thus preserve the quality and freshness of its products. This daily and rigorous monitoring allows to store 6 million pounds of rutabagas and 3 million pounds of carrots, beetroots and turnips every year.
The strength of JPL Maraîcher is that it is a family business in which the love of a job well done is passed on from generation to generation. Family members are present every day with their team to offer exceptional quality products to consumers. That is how JPL Maraîcher stands out!
Picture on the left: Jean-Paul and Doris in 2011 with by their grandchildren
Picture on the right: All the shareholders in 2011
