2024 Winners

On June 5, 2024, R.E.A.CH. International held its annual Greenhouse Competitions including “The Hottest Tomato”, “The Perfect Pepper”, “The Coolest Cucumber” and the “Best Berry” Competitions. The awards ceremony was held at Kingsville Community Church on Friday, June 9th and live streamed at greenhousecompetitions.com. The winners received the coveted Greenhouse Competition ceramic cup trophies and, of course, the bragging rights as the best producers in North America.

This is the 17th year for these unique competitions that have been running since 2007 to celebrate Essex County as the largest greenhouse industry in North America. And the charity which runs the annual event uses the proceeds from the competition to sponsor over 40 children in Uganda, Africa, annually. These sponsorships give the children and teens food, school supplies, medicine, and everything else they need to get an education and break the cycle of poverty.

Art Barron, President of R.E,A,CH. International speaks on the impact of the Greenhouse Competitions in Uganda: “After 17 years, it is wonderful to witness the enthusiastic embrace of the competitions by the Greenhouse Industry in Essex County, which eagerly anticipates the event each year. The impact of the funds raised has been immeasurable. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and contestants, we have raised over $250,000, supporting hundreds of children’s education, building infrastructure, and enhancing the health and wellness of the communities we serve in Uganda.”

The Greenhouse Competitions, presented in part by farm sponsors SUNSET® /Mastronardi Produce Ltd. and Nature Fresh Farms, started on Wednesday, June 5th with 184 entries delivered to Kingsville Community Centre. Entries were numbered and sorted by volunteers and then evaluated by expert judges from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), grocery store produce managers, and Culinary Guild of Windsor Chefs. They judged entries with a specialized list of criteria developed by our Head Judge, Shalin Khosla.

“We are excited to serve as a Farm Level Sponsor for this year’s Greenhouse Competition, an event that brings together the largest greenhouse community in North America. As we continue to innovate and advance within our industry, we take pride in our contribution to this event that not only showcases excellence in produce but also supports an important cause – REACH International.” – Matt Quiring, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Nature Fresh Farms

“Our team is excited to be part of this event recognizing excellence in greenhouse grown produce,” said Paul Mastronardi, President & CEO of Mastronardi Produce. “The Leamington Greenhouse Competition presents a remarkable opportunity for our industry to unite in support of a great local cause in R.E.A.C.H International. It’s always a thrill to bring home awards for our flavourful Sunset produce and I am thankful to our entire team for their dedication to consistent quality and flavour.”

And the 2024 Winners in the Greenhouse Capital of North America are:

R.E.A.CH. International, the Canadian registered child-sponsorship charity, run completely by local volunteers, has been hosting an annual event that both celebrates our local Greenhouse Fame while sponsoring some of the poorest children and families in the world.  With no staff taking salaries, the charity is one of the very few that can guarantee that 100% of donated funds will be used for the intended purposes.