Green Lion Farms

This interview details Green Lion Farms, an indoor farming company based in Canada. The interview is with Mark van Deurson, Founder of Green Lion Farms.

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What is the origin story of Green Lion Farms? ‍

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Greenlion Farms is a family run farm, owned and operated by Mark and Lesley van Deursen located in Armstrong, BC in Canada.

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We were passionate about starting a program where local, sustainable, chemical free practices could be provided to our province and country with year-round produce. After looking at different options we decided to use an automated, environment-controlled systems build by Cubic farms to grow varieties of leafy greens and microgreens that are grown 365 days a year.  

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Ultimately, we are most passionate about demonstrating and modelling to our young children that change is possible. Food security and education for a healthier today and tomorrow are issues that need immediate attention, and we are dedicated to contributing positively toward those causes in any way we can.  

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‍What are some of the biggest challenges facing Green Lion Farms in the future?   ‍

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Our biggest challenge for the future would be getting public awareness that there is local produce grown year-round in the area and that we are in fact a local farmer. Also, now that a Cubic Farms system no longer is available, we will have to look at different growing concepts and technologies for future expansion.

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‍How do you measure the impact of your company so far? (Revenue, Employees, Customer Quantity, Production Volume) etc?

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‍We had some troubles in the beginning with the system itself, but now that we have made the necessary changes it seems to work very well.  We’ve teamed up with a company called Vertical Choice, a local distributor, to help brand our product to food service clients and grocery store chains.

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‍What have you learned that you wish you knew when you started the company?

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‍There are a lot of innovative concepts out there now, but the biggest challenge for us would be finding a company that has real-life data and a concept that has been proven in a commercial setting. There has been a lot of investment in the vertical farming technology, but current models are still very young and vulnerable without proven long term success.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Green Lion Farms? ‍

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Visiting our website, www.greenlionfarms.ca, or following us on social media is the easiest way to stay up to date with what we offer and the progress of our farm.

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