CAN (QC): Montreal supermarket offers produce from rooftop garden

“People don’t believe that we can grow veggies on a rooftop,” says Carl Pichette, marketing vice-president for Sobeys Quebec. But that’s exactly what an IGA supermarket in Montreal’s borough of Saint-Laurent is doing. They have planted a 23,000-square foot rooftop garden that shoppers can spot from the parking lot. This is the garden’s third year of operation.

“Consumers are looking for fresh ingredients,” Pichette explains. “But if you can grow your own vegetables, organic, on your rooftop, that makes it very strong for the consumer. They start in the spring and grow 30 different kinds of fruit and vegetables that vary throughout the season. Like leafy greens — kale, parsley and chard, that like the cooler weather, as well as others that do better in the heat.

“So right now, what’s coming in is the tomatoes,” Time Murphy tells Global News. He works for Ligne Verte, the company that runs the farm in partnership with the supermarket. “The eggplants are beautiful, the peppers will be not far behind, hot peppers, basil, strawberries.”

Customers can see the produce on a screen in the store and order what they want. While they wait, they can watch what’s happening in the garden via a live-camera feed.

Pichette says 95 per cent of what is grown is sold. “It’s not more expensive to buy those organic products than other organic products that we have.”