Montreal Is at the Forefront of an Urban Food Revolution

"Lebanese-born founder Mohamed Hage guides visitors through a leafy rooftop greenhouse, plucking a ripe cherry tomato and urging, "Give it a try!" He also tells the author, "No need to wash it," pointing out that everything they grow is pesticide free. Rows of reddening tomatoes labeled Balthasetto and Ferreira climb a horizontal scaffolding of irrigation tubes, and inside the sprawling facility — described as the world’s largest commercial rooftop greenhouse — the temperature is a steady 27 degrees (80°F) even on an overcast Montreal afternoon. Operating in six locations across the city, including a repurposed warehouse that once housed a Sears distribution center, the operation uses hydroponics to grow peppers, cucumbers, kohlrabi, lettuce, and salad greens year-round for Montreal’s top chefs. A fleet of electric vans delivers 30,000 baskets per week; the company pioneered large-scale rooftop hydroponics with its first greenhouse in 2009. As Hage explains, "In winter, at a time when very little is being grown locally, we’re in full production," and he adds, "I’ve calculated we could provide all the produce needs of the two million people on the island," noting recent expansion includes a greenhouse for cucumbers and peppers on the roof of a Walmart." - Taras Grescoe