Producing raspberries in winter, from university campus to industrial environment

Raspberries harvested in the middle of winter in Sherbrooke are already surprising. Now, add a good taste, and the recipe developed by the Canberries research project has a bright future.

Without being able to reveal everything about this program piloted by a team from Bishop’s University and the University of Sherbrooke, researcher Mirella Aoun can at least confirm one thing: those who have tasted the Christmas raspberriesharvested this month, in December, have seen their taste buds charmed.

The direct thought is: ”ah, but they taste like real raspberries!” They are sweeter than what you find in the store, they are freshernotes the associate professor of the department of environment, agriculture and geography at Bishop’s University.

The Canberries project, a contraction of “Canadian” and “berries”, has already generated two harvests of raspberries, a first last spring and another which has just been picked. The berries grow in a less energy-intensive greenhouse specially developed by the researchers, which is located on the university campus.

The goal is to bring production to another level after winter.

Produce on a large scale

Mirella Aoun’s research team, which received $1 million in funding, is one of 11 research teams participating in the Cultivating Homegrown Innovation Challenge, launched in 2022 by the Weston Family Foundation.

This challenge is to create and implement a market-ready system to reliably, sustainably and competitively produce berries off-season and at scale in Canadasummarizes Mirella Aoun.

For her, the challenge is well on the way to being met. [La production] will no longer be on the university campus, but it will be in the industrial environmentshe rejoices. In Estrie? In Quebecspecifies the professor.

I can announce that I have secured my team for scaling [de la production]. It has been completed and I can assure you that we have very good players with usunderlines Mirella Aoun.

The goal is to produce more berries to reduce our dependence on imports.

This is because the extension of the growing season for fresh produce will reduce the country’s dependence on imported fruits and vegetables, which will promote a more resilient food system. In Canada, traditional greenhouses can extend the growing season, but they can also consume electricity and fossil fuels.she nuances.

Greener greenhouses

In Sherbrooke, the Canberries project made it possible to create a greenhouse prototype that is more respectful of the planet. “What we want to put in place is to reduce the carbon footprint of fruit production by developing a passive solar greenhouse which maximizes the use of light and available natural heat,” argues Mirella Aoun.

“What nature cannot provide is supplemented by renewable technologies, green energies. »

We even introduce pollinators into the greenhouse to pollinate our raspberry bushes. We do it as natural as possible and we harvest fresh.

Until industrial production begins, the raspberries have been given to food banks.