The largest plant propagator in North America is right here in Langley. Bevo Farms Ltd. is celebrating 30 years of growth by opening their doors to the public for a tour and refreshments on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 22350 Highway 10.
“We are the largest plant propagator for greenhouse grown seedlings in North America,” said Bevo project manager Gord Vaneburgt.
“We have 50 acres of growing space on about 118 acres of land (98 in Langley, 20 in Pitt Meadows),” he said. Their greenhouses can be seen from Glover Road and and Highway 10. In fact, Bevo is one of the largest-scale agriculture businesses in Langley.
Bevo has 58 employees, and about 80 to 200 people working per day depending on the season.
Bevo is commercial only. There is no retail side to it. And the U.S. make up 49 per cent of their sales.
The first 26 acres of land on Glover Road were purchased in 1986 by Bevo founder and president Jack Benne and Eric Voogt.
Using the first two letters of each of their last names is how Bevo got its name.
The first greenhouse Benne and Voogt had built the next year was 2.5 acres of glass and half an acre of warehouse.
While Bevo first began in 1986, it wasn’t until 1994 when the first shipment to the U.S. took place. Tomato plants were shipped to Wilcox, Arizona, opening Bevo’s market to America. Within two years, Bevo had to expand again due to the increase in demand from the U.S. and Mexico. By 1995, Bevo expanded into the bedding plant industry.
In 2000, Bevo Farms went public, further expanding their market reach. Bevo has spent some of that time researching best ways to make themselves as environmentally efficient. In 2008, a UV filter was brought in to purify land water from the greenhouse, making it clean and reusable for use on the plants.
Since then, greenhouses have been added in Pitt Meadows to handle their cold space. Eight acres of greenhouses are currently being built with completion expected this month.
