Completion of Phase 2 of the Truly Green tomato greenhouse complex on Bloomfield Road is expected to be complete by December and, along with the expansion, will come more jobs. Currently, about 55 full-time workers are employed at the facility, which features 22.5 acres of greenhouse space in Phase 1.
During a presentation Oct. 15 in which Truly Green was honoured as Industry of the Month by the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce and by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, partner Hilco Tamminga said an additional 80 full-time workers will be required once Phase 2 is up and running.
Phase 2 is also 22.5 acres, but Tamminga said the smaller cocktail-sized tomatoes grown there are more labour-intensive, which explains why more workers are required than in Phase 1.
Plans eventually call for 90 total acres in four different phases and Truly Green makes use of waste heat and carbon dioxide emissions from the Greenfield Ethanol plant across the road in a unique partnership that helps the tomatoes grow faster, while keeping down energy costs.