foreign workers

Gaspesian berries on grocery shelves

Local Journalism Initiative / The Gaspé Spec / July 9, 2025 / Berries, foreign workers, gaspe, harvest, nelson sergerie

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINT-SIMÉON – Gaspé strawberries are now available on grocery store shelves in Bay of Chaleur and the Chandler area.

“The season has started. We’ve had strawberries in the store for a few days now, and it’s a start. The season has started. We still have flowers in the fields with the later strawberries. There’s an abundance right now,” says Pierre Bourdages, co-owner of Ferme Bourdages Tradition in Saint-Siméon.

And the beginning of the season promises a good harvest for 2025.

“It should be a good season despite the late start, with the excess water and cool weather. The heat is now here. The rain caused a bit of a delay,” notes the farmer.

“We’re supplying the markets. We’re starting on the south side: Chandler, Carleton. We’re moving forward gradually. We don’t have large volumes at the moment. You’ll see strawberries in your grocery stores in the next few days,” says Mr Bourdages.

Consumers in Gaspé will therefore have to wait a few more days before they can enjoy this purely Gaspé product.

The increase in the minimum wage and the rise in input costs such as transportation are affecting the cost of strawberries.

“The price is jumping because we have no choice,” says Mr. Bourdages.

However, it is still possible to find cheap strawberries in large chains, with consumers seeing prices as low as $2.50 for a one-litre basket.

“It’s a loss leader. Retailers will set aggressive prices to attract customers by selling at a loss,” he notes.

In Ontario, during the week of June 25, a basket sold for $6.

Strawberries from Île d’Orléans have been sweet and juicy so far this year.

Those from the Gaspé Peninsula should follow the same trend.

“They will be excellent. We mustn’t forget that we have different varieties, but the temperature, climate, heat, and sun make all the difference in the final taste. It helps a lot with the sugar in the strawberries,” he explains.

With the sun and heat of the last few days, the fruit should taste great.

Ferme Bourdages Tradition has about 120 workers in the fields picking. Of these, one-third are from Mexico.

“We have about ten who were expected on July 2, and about twenty the following week. We’re going with the arrival of the fruit in the field. As it ripens, we’ll need workers. In total, we’ll have 44 foreign workers,” says Mr. Bourdages.

Gaspesian berries on grocery shelves Read More »

Gaspesian strawberries will be available around July 5

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINT-SIMÉON – Local strawberries should start appearing on Gaspesian grocery store shelves around July 5.

That’s what the co-owner of Ferme Bourdages Tradition in Saint-Siméon believes, given that last winter saw virtually no snow and the wetter, less sunny spring slowed down preparations. “A lot of humidity, rain, and cool weather has set us back about two weeks,” says Pierre Bourdages.
Last year, the season began early, with fresh strawberries available by June 20.

Winter frost damage was limited to just 5 to 10%, which suggests a good season ahead.
“We have a lot of flowers in the fields. We have 50% of flowers in the early varieties and the mid-season varieties are starting to flower. As long as the bees do their job of pollination, I think it will be a good season. It all depends on the sun and the heat,” explains the farmer.

Recruiting foreign labour has been a challenge in recent years, but this season 46 workers from Mexico are expected to arrive.

Five arrived in May, eight more on June 12, and the rest are expected to arrive in the next few days.
Recruitment was easier this year. “There were fewer problems with visas and logistics in Mexico and Canada. They have improved integration. There have been changes, but you can never be sure until they land in Montreal,” says Mr. Bourdages.

The first strawberries in Montreal were quite expensive, with prices around $15. “At the beginning, there is always a price increase because there is no volume. It’s late everywhere in Quebec. The price will adjust according to the volumes on the market. We’ll see how many strawberries there are from the United States and how customers react. This could be a game changer for Quebec strawberries,” notes Mr. Bourdages, who points out that Quebecers tend to shun American strawberries.

American strawberries have been selling for as little as $2 in supermarkets in recent weeks due to weak demand.

“They will sell for between $4 and $5 per basket in 750 ml and 1 litre sizes. That’s still competitive and affordable. Production costs are still there. We have to respect our margins if we want to continue producing. It will depend on customer reaction and market volume,” predicts Mr. Bourdages.