Where is the first place you would travel if presented with a time machine?
This exact question recently sparked an insightful discussion here at the headquarters of The Snack, leaving me pondering on the past’s greatest moments while simultaneously conjuring up an image of what a typical day in the future might look like.
Unfortunately, these pages do not hold the blueprints for a state-of-the-art Time Cruiser 3000. Though I’d argue you may find something even more special.
With the push of a few buttons and a quick blast through time and space, we find ourselves in Kingsville, Ontario, Canada. The year: 1954. The greenhouse trailblazer we know so dearly as Mastronardi Produce® has just been established, and a legacy of flavor-forward produce innovation has officially begun. With a landmark year on the horizon, it’s only right to look back at all the company has accomplished over the course of 70 years.
Backed by an ambitious vision and a penchant for indoor growing, Umberto Mastronardi set out to bring Canadian consumers a fresh, top-quality lineup of greenhouse-grown vegetables. The rest, as they say, is history.
“Umberto’s vision was to provide people with fresh and flavorful greenhouse-grown vegetables all year long,” shares Paul Mastronardi, grandson of Umberto and current President and Chief Executive Officer of Mastronardi Produce. In doing so, the fourth-generation leader speaks with a tone of honor and respect that truly exemplifies the passion behind this generational grower. “Today, that vision is now a reality that impacts not only our hometown, but local communities across Canada and the United States. As we continue to look to the future, we remain focused on growing fresh, flavorful fruits and veggies, along with growing in a way that is sustainable for people and the planet.”
While our destination marks the beginning of Mastronardi Produce as we know it, the Mastronardi family’s experience in greenhouse growing dates back even further than the 1950s.
To truly understand the company’s incredible impact on the greenhouse arena, we must first journey back to the 1920s, when Armando Mastronardi decided he needed to find somewhere to establish a better life for his family. In 1925, he set out on an ambitious journey from Italy, eventually ending up in Leamington, Ontario. Armando worked in farming before earning enough money to have his own farm.
The family business began with field products such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, corn, and rutabagas, though Armando had some acreage under a glass greenhouse to continue producing crops throughout the winter season.
Several years later, Armando’s son Umberto would harness his own unique expertise to pioneer commercial greenhouse growing in the North American region.
“Along with pioneering commercial greenhouse growing in North America, the Mastronardi family was a founding member of the local Italian community.”
Paul Mastronardi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mastronardi Produce®
“Umberto Mastronardi was a catalyst for the local industry. After returning from a trip to Europe, he brought back the greenhouse technology knowledge gained during his travels to build the first commercial greenhouse in North America. Along with pioneering commercial greenhouse growing in North America, the Mastronardi family was a founding member of the local Italian community,” Paul adds, emphasizing the company’s pride in maintaining its roots.
These critical decisions sparked the birth of the powerful SUNSET® brand in 1954, which has since evolved to comprise a portfolio of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and even berries and lettuce.
Bringing us back to the year 2024, Mastronardi Produce is now gearing up to celebrate its 70th anniversary—a well-earned achievement that marks the success of the company’s founding values and vision.
“We’re curating special activities to celebrate our 70th anniversary with various stakeholder groups, like customers, consumers, and employees,” Paul shares with enthusiasm. “Without revealing too much, our support network can anticipate some fun events, giveaways, limited-edition swag, and more. We’re especially excited to celebrate with our hometown community. Leamington, Ontario, is where our company was officially founded in 1954, and 70 years later, it has grown into an incredible legacy. The greater Essex County region is now home to the highest concentration of greenhouses in North America.”
If our momentary excursion back to the company’s inception in the ’50s made SUNSET’s success seem like fate, you may be right. But time is not the only driver of the longstanding supplier’s continuous growth and accomplishment. The company’s seven decades of success in the greenhouse arena can also be attributed to the expertise, dedication, and innovation of its entire operation.
“Innovation is in everything we do—from research and development to introducing new varieties, growing technology, marketing, and more.”
“Innovation is in everything we do—from research and development to introducing new varieties, growing technology, marketing, and more,” says Paul. “Our unparalleled customer service paired with a robust grower network helps us provide a year-round portfolio of greenhouse-grown produce that delivers both quality and flavor.”
In addition to celebrating its platinum anniversary, Mastronardi Produce is eyeing other avenues for potential expansion. This includes plans to further broaden its formidable network of earth-friendly greenhouses to provide more communities with access to fresh, locally grown produce.
The greenhouse maven is also targeting the berry category as it builds out its product portfolio. Buckle your seatbelts as we make another time jump to the beginning of berries for Mastronardi Produce. In 2003, the supplier pioneered high-tech berry growing with the launch of premium, greenhouse strawberries.
“We see a lot of potential for growth in the berry category,” Paul notes. “We are expanding the category the same way we fueled growth in the tomato sector.”
Through a collaboration with BerryWorld® in 2018, the company set out to revolutionize the strawberry category with a commitment to high flavor. Just one year later, the SUNSET brand sold its first full line of WOW® strawberries, satisfying exceptionally high demand.
As for its more recent growth plays, Mastronardi Produce is looking back on a couple of years of record-breaking expansion.
The company added more acres to its local network in 2022 and 2023 than ever before—almost half of which is lit growing capacity. As part of this expansion, the Utah Greenhouse Company joined the Mastronardi network and began growing SUNSET’s Bombs® tomatoes in a cutting-edge, 28-acre greenhouse.
The supplier also gained ownership of its first large-scale, washed, and ready-to-eat greenhouse lettuce operation in Berea, Kentucky, spearheading cultivation for its Queen of Greens® and Backyard Farms® brands of premium crafted greenhouse-grown lettuce blends. Last but certainly not least, the company has quintupled its greenhouse strawberry acreage since 2019 and will now have approximately 200 acres of greenhouse strawberries in operation by fall.
“Through the addition of Rhode Island, Utah, and Kentucky to our controlled environment agriculture (CEA) portfolio, Mastronardi Produce is now present in eight states in the U.S.,” Paul tells me. “This continually expanding network allows us to reach more consumers and continue satisfying ever-growing customer demands for fresh, flavorful produce. Without a doubt, our team has led major industry milestones over the past several years, and we’re looking forward to celebrating them throughout 2024.”
Decade after decade, Mastronardi Produce has upheld its founding values to stay on the leading edge of produce innovation.
When you think of its ever-expanding, multi-category-spanning portfolio supported by a massive footprint of state-of-the-art greenhouses, it’s hard to even imagine a humble beginning for the industry phenomenon. But each enticing SUNSET product lining store shelves is the result of a passionately executed vision.
One family. One vision. And one North American greenhouse. 
