Heeman’s
London
Hub: Green Economy London
Recognizing that growing food has an impact on the environment, Heeman’s has always searched for better solutions to minimize their environmental impact.
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“One of the reasons we’ve been able to be in business for this long is because we’ve made sustainability a priority in our family and in our business for a number of years.”
— Will Heeman, Chief Daymaker, Heeman’s
What’s Good for the Environment is Good for the Bottom Line
Since humble beginnings in 1963 as a small family-run strawberry farm, Heeman’s has grown to serve London and its surrounding communities for all their gardening and berry needs. Sustainability has long been entrenched as a value in this family owned and operated business, and what drives Heeman’s is a strong desire to do business better.
Will Heeman, now the third generation of the family involved in the growing business and Chief Daymaker at Heeman’s, firmly believes that what’s good for the environment is good for the bottom line. Recognizing that growing food has an impact on the environment, Heeman’s has always searched for better solutions to minimize their environmental impact, and has found that more often than not, that has led to operational efficiencies and savings at the same time.
Sustainability Highlights
Reuse
Installed flooding benches in greenhouses to recapture 100% of the water that isn’t absorbed by the plants for reuse.
Reductions
Invested in a drip irrigation system in the berry fields in early 2000s, which was novel in Ontario at the time, to water directly into the roots. Reduced water use by 75%.
Savings
Borrowed from a program at the Antarctic Research Centre to manage greenhouse upgrades and was able to double production while keeping energy use flat.