Ridge Farms is adding 11 acres, about 4.45 hectares, of greenhouse capacity in Kingsville, Ontario, with greenhouse builder South Essex Fabricating confirming that construction is underway. The expansion is intended to support additional tomato production in Canada’s main commercial greenhouse cluster.
The project is beyond the planning stage. During the Canadian Greenhouse Conference bus tour on October 6, visitors saw the Ridge Farms operation and HortiDaily reported that gutters for the new greenhouse had already been rolled out on site.
Physical construction is already visible on site
SEF’s project update identifies Ridge Farms as the customer and states that the new 11-acre greenhouse is under construction for future tomato production. The builder’s update provides the clearest direct confirmation of the current project stage.
HortiDaily’s October 7 report says the expansion was visible during the conference tour and that some gutters had already been rolled on the property.
The expansion adds capacity to an existing beefsteak tomato operation
Ridge Farms mainly grows beefsteak tomatoes. HortiDaily reported that its current packing line handles production from around 30 acres and has capacity for 50 acres, providing context for how the additional growing area may fit into the existing operation.
The reviewed sources do not establish the farm’s final total greenhouse area after the expansion. No capital budget, target completion date or first-crop date has been disclosed in the current project updates.
Why it matters
For greenhouse suppliers, the signal is an active capacity addition rather than an early proposal. A roughly 4.45-hectare build in the Kingsville-Leamington cluster creates near-term demand across structure, gutters, climate, irrigation and crop-support systems while adding future tomato output in one of North America’s major protected-crop regions.
What remains unclear
Ridge Farms and SEF have not publicly disclosed the project’s investment value, target completion date, first planting date or final total greenhouse area after the 11-acre addition.
Key takeaways
- Ridge Farms is adding 11 acres, approximately 4.45 hectares, of tomato greenhouse capacity in Kingsville, Ontario.
- South Essex Fabricating says construction is underway, and October on-site reporting observed gutters already rolled for the expansion.
- Capex, completion timing and first-crop timing have not been disclosed.
