Village Farms completes 1st planting of new Greenhouse
For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Contact:
Stephen C. Ruffini, Excutive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
732-676-3000
Vancouver, B.C., December 14, 2011 – Village Farms International, Inc. (the “Company”) (TSX: VFF)
Village Farms has completed planting of 15 acres (6 hectares) of its new 30 acre greenhouse in Monahans Texas. The remaining 15 acres will be planted in January. The Company is in the final stages of completing the greenhouse and support structures, which will be fully operational prior to the initial harvest in late February.
The Company broke ground on the 30 acre greenhouse in Monahans in June 2011. The greenhouse is based on the Company's innovative proprietary technology termed GATES
TM, which has demonstrated yields exceeding 100 kilograms per square meter per year in the Company's existing GATESTM research greenhouse. The Monahans greenhouse will provide year round supply and enhance the Company's product offerings for its existing customer base.
Michael DeGiglio, Chief Executive Officer for the Company, stated “We are on schedule with construction as well as planting of our new facility in Monahans.” He added "I would like to thank the development team and our contractors for not only adhering to a stringent schedule but in fact building this facility in record time. Fellow industry professionals have made it a point to tell us they do not recall a traditional greenhouse, let alone one as complex as our GATESTM greenhouse, to have been completed so expeditiously. I am extremely proud of our efforts to date and look forward to being fully operational in the spring of 2012."
About Village Farms:
Village Farms is one of the largest producers, marketers and distributors of premium-quality, greenhouse-grown tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers in North America. This premium product as well as premium product produced under exclusive arrangements with other greenhouse producers is grown in sophisticated, highly efficient and intensive agricultural greenhouse facilities located in British Columbia and Texas. Product is marketed and distributed under the Village Farms® brand primarily to retail grocers and dedicated fresh food distributors throughout the United States and Canada. Village Farms currently operates distribution centers located in key markets in the United States and Canada.