Ontario Plants Propagation Limited (Ontario Plants) is proud to announce that it has joined the Ohio Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (OHCEAC) Consortium, a leading public-private partnership advancing controlled environment agriculture (CEA) research, innovation, and industry collaboration across North America.
The decision follows a recent visit by Dr. Chieri Kubota, professor at The Ohio State University, and members of her research team to Ontario Plants' operations. That visit reinforced a shared mission: advancing CEA through a multidisciplinary, applied approach that connects academic research with realworld commercial production.
"The OHCEAC Consortium was established in 2022 to support research collaborations critical for advancing North American controlled environment agriculture," said Dr. Kubota. "We currently have 10 industry members and 30 scientists and engineers working across disciplines relevant to CEA. We are very excited to have Ontario Plants join the consortium, representing a critical sector of high-value transplant production for CEA growers."
"For us, this was not simply about joining another consortium," said Mathieu van de Sande, President & CEO of Ontario Plants. "It was about aligning with a group that understands that the future of CEA— especially in high-value crops like strawberries and soft fruit—depends on deep collaboration between universities, government researchers, and commercial operators."
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A natural fit built over time
Personnel from Ontario Plants and its associated companies have attended the OHCEAC Annual Conference for several years. Widely respected within the industry as a focused forum for knowledge exchange, the conference has consistently delivered practical insights and rigorous discussion. The most recent conference, themed "High Quality Transplants," resonated strongly with Ontario Plants' strategic priorities, particularly as the company continues to invest in advanced propagation systems, plant health, and uniformity at scale.
"High-quality transplants are foundational to the success of controlled environment fruit and vegetable production," van de Sande added. "That focus directly aligns with how we think about risk reduction, yield consistency, and long-term grower success."
Strengthening Ontario Plants' soft-fruit platform
Membership in the OHCEAC Consortium supports Ontario Plants' expanding strawberry and soft-fruit propagation program, an area of increasing importance as North American growers seek cleaner starting material, greater genetic consistency, and improved disease resilience. Through OHCEAC, Ontario Plants will collaborate with faculty from The Ohio State University and scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), alongside fellow consortium members spanning the CEA vegetable and fruit value chain.
Ontario Plants also values the consortium's structure as a true public-private partnership, designed to translate research into practical outcomes that benefit growers, suppliers, and the broader food system.
"We feel very much at home among the current consortium members," said van de Sande. "It's a group that represents every critical link in the value chain, and that diversity of perspective is exactly what's needed to move CEA forward."
Technical leadership and industry experience
Ontario Plants' involvement in the consortium is supported by Roger Buelow, Chief Technology Officer of the Sustainable Food Group, whose experience in controlled environment systems, technology integration, and operational scaling provides valuable technical guidance to Ontario Plants as it continues to expand and innovate.
"This consortium represents the kind of collaboration our industry needs more of," van de Sande concluded. "We're excited to work alongside the other member companies, Ohio State researchers, and USDA scientists to help shape the next chapter of controlled environment agriculture in North America. Roger brings a depth of technical and operational perspective that strengthens how we engage with research partners, and his experience helps ensure that our participation in OHCEAC is grounded in realworld application and delivers tangible value back to our growers and partners."
Ontario Plants looks forward to working alongside fellow consortium members, Ohio State researchers, and USDA scientists to advance high-quality transplant production and help shape the future of controlled environment agriculture in North America.
For more information:
Ontario Plants
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