Dool International recently finished a greenhouse lifting and renovating project over at Allegro Acres in Ruthven, Ontario, Canada.
The farm’s owner and operator, Gene Ingratta, founded the farm with the help of his parents back in 1999, starting out with tomato cultivation in a 9-acre greenhouse. Over the years, the farm expanded and has since started to grow peppers as well, eventually converting the whole farm to peppers. Now, 40% of the farm is growing peppers under LEDs to provide local production year-round.
“Our original 9-acre range was over 20 years old and only 16 feet to the gutter. In contrast, our LED glass range is 24 feet to the gutter, so after years of experience with the two different heights, it was an easy decision to make. We wanted to get a better climate, more even light distribution, more efficient labor, more options on what varieties we can now grow, and a proper height to install more LEDs. It also helped with energy efficiency as it was a good opportunity to replace our outside walls with a new 16mm polycarbonate,” says Gene.
As the project is now finished, Gene can look back satisfied with his choice of contractors and is very positive about the collaboration with Dool International.
“When researching what company to hire for this job, Dool International jumped out at us, and after discussing it with my colleagues, it was a very easy decision for us to make. They were very well prepared, experienced, professional, and we always felt secure with their product and commitment.”
Overall, Gene is very pleased with the results of the project, so much so that he is already thinking of doing the same for his other cultivation area.
“We had originally thought that our second phase, which is 19 feet to the gutter, was plenty high. However, after seeing how well the crop is performing with a raised greenhouse, we’re now discussing raising the roof there as well.”
For more information:
Vincent van den Dool
Dool International B.V.
Aartsdijkweg 55, 2676 LE
Maasdijk, the Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)174 513094
Email: v.dool@tcvddool.nl
https://www.tcvddool.nl/en/
Allegro Acres Inc
1851 Peterson Ln, Ruthven
ON N0P 2G0, Canada