Quebec herb grower GOURMA is investing more than C$25 million in an approximately one-hectare expansion of its Saint-Norbert greenhouse complex. Construction began in summer 2026, with commercial operation targeted for early 2027, according to original reporting by TVA Nouvelles on 14 October. The new facility is being built next to the company’s existing herb-growing operation in Quebec’s Lanaudière region.
GOURMA supplies fresh herbs to supermarket customers across Quebec, Ontario and the Maritime provinces. The company plans to add semi-closed glasshouse growing capacity, rather than simply replicating its existing greenhouse design. Construction is underway, but the projected early-2027 opening is not an operating milestone already achieved.
Automated germination and semi-closed production
The planned expansion includes an automated germination chamber designed for multiple herb varieties, developed with Finnish greenhouse-automation specialist Green Automation. The system is intended to manage the rotation of young plants through a controlled environment. It will be paired with semi-closed glasshouses that recirculate part of their internal air, creating a different climate-control model from the existing growing space.
Greenhouse engineering firm Gobeil Dion & Associés is supporting the project. For greenhouse technology suppliers, the investment combines construction, propagation automation, heating and water treatment in a single commercial facility. It does not by itself prove the forecast performance gains of those technologies.
Heating and water savings remain targets
High-efficiency heat pumps are expected to supply nearly 75% of the new growing area’s heating needs using electricity, according to GOURMA’s project description. The company estimates a potential reduction of around 1,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year for the new facility compared with fossil-fuel heating. Its wider plan to convert existing facilities during 2027 could increase that claimed annual reduction to almost 3,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent.
The plans also include rainwater recovery, with the company projecting a reduction of around 20% in water drawn from the municipal network, alongside recirculation of nutrient solutions. These are forecasts for a facility that has not yet entered operation, not independently measured energy, carbon or water results.
What investors and operators should watch
The investment gives a concrete construction-stage example of greenhouse growers combining additional capacity with a redesigned energy system and automated propagation. The important next milestones are completion, commissioning of the germination chamber, and actual production and operating-cost data after the expected opening in early 2027. GOURMA has not published a verified final commissioning date or achieved energy-savings results.
Key takeaways
- GOURMA has begun work on about one hectare of additional herb greenhouse space at Saint-Norbert, linked to an investment above C$25 million.
- Green Automation is involved in multivariety germination automation; heat pumps and semi-closed climate systems are also planned.
- The opening remains a 2027 target, while resource savings are company estimates rather than measured outcomes.
Featured image: GOURMA’s current herb-growing facility in Saint-Norbert, used for context. Official company photograph: GOURMA. Not an image of the new expansion under construction.
