From the rich soil of Elgin county, the products of the Ferguson family’s efforts can be found in 27 countries around the world.
Ferguson Bros. of St. Thomas Ltd. are specialists in the coloured and white bean industry, rooted on their farm off Highbury Avenue, on the outskirts of the city.
Bean varieties for export include cranberry, pinto, blacks, navies, light and dark red kidney, white kidney and yellow eyes.
Beans are technically neither vegetables nor fruits, instead they are a category of foods referred to as legumes.
However, they are typically categorized as vegetables due to their culinary and nutritional characteristics.
They estimate 85 per cent of the beans harvested are destined for overseas markets including Italy, Croatia, Japan, Netherlands and France to name but a few.
“For the Fergusons it’s certainly something to hang their hat on,” observes Bond, “to say they are internationally known for their brand.”
Bond, who has worked with the Ferguson family for the past eight years, advises one of the largest changes she has witnessed is the move toward sustainability.
“A lot of companies now want to be more sustainable and they want to want to deal with companies who take sustainability seriously.”
At Ferguson Bros., that would include paying careful attention to what they spray.
“We don’t want to use more inputs than we have to, ” observes Bond. “Not just from a sustainability standpoint, but also from an economical standpoint as a grower.”
They have a network of growers who bring their beans to the Fergusons where they are processed.
“We have a lot of experienced growers,” explained Bond, “growers who have put money into their equipment and have grown beans for many years. They are experts in their field.
“Dry beans are tough to grow and I would say weather is the Number 1 challenge every year.”
Another challenge is manpower, noted Bond and thus the reliance on larger and more efficient farm equipment.
“The Fergusons just invested in new bean combines last year. These combines are larger, they can get more area done in a shorter period of time with one person operating as opposed to five or six smaller combines that take five or six people who know how to operate them.”
They are also affiliated with a frozen food wholesaler and supply sweet corn, peas, green beans, cauliflower, carrots and bean mixes.
It all comes down to producing the best beans and vegetables possible when the Ferguson name is on the bag or box.
“We don’t get a reputation around the world without an eye on quality,” reminded Bond.
You can hear more from Joanne Ferguson and Shari Bond below:
Seeds of Success Presented by Elgin County. Fueled by Kubota. Supported by Briwood Farm Market.
