The Canadian firm IGA extra Famille Duchemin has taken another step towards sustainability and innovation with the launch of a pioneering project in the country. The company has installed an orchard of more than 2,300 m² on the roof of its Saint Laurent facility in Montreal, where it grows fruits and vegetables that it sells in the store. It is, no doubt, a good way to take advantage of this surface.
"The roof garden allows us to cultivate our passion for food while taking care of the environment, an aspect that is particularly close to our hearts. We are happy to carry out this innovative project and hope that it can inspire other companies to follow suit," the company stated.
Thanks to this idea, the firm offers its clients thirty varieties of organic vegetables grown on their own roof (lettuce, tomatoes, fine herbs, aubergines ...). The roof also houses beehives that allow them to sell nearly 200 kg of honey in the supermarket at the end of September.
To carry out this project on a large scale, the company partnered with producers from La ligne Verte that are specialized in living roofs and who already had experience in urban agriculture.
