Backyard Farms

Backyard Farms is an agricultural company based in Madison, Maine, focused on growing vine-ripened tomatoes in large-scale greenhouse facilities. The company was founded in 2004 and developed an operating model centered on controlled-environment agriculture rather than conventional open-field production. Its facilities were designed to supply tomatoes grown close to the North American market while maintaining consistent growing conditions and product availability. The company’s first major greenhouse was completed in 2007. Covering approximately 25 acres, it was described as the largest building by volume in Maine at the time and occupied an area comparable to roughly 20 football fields. The greenhouse accommodated about 240,000 plants, with plants reaching heights of up to 10 feet. The operation was projected to produce approximately one million tomatoes per week. A second greenhouse, connected to the first, was completed in 2009, bringing the combined growing area to approximately 42 acres. Backyard Farms used horticultural techniques associated with modern greenhouse production. Plants were cultivated in rock wool, a soil-free growing medium, and bumblebees were kept inside the greenhouses to pollinate the plants. The facilities also collected rainwater from their roofs and recycled it to supplement irrigation water. These practices supported the company’s positioning around locally grown, controlled-environment produce, although the available reference material does not provide a complete account of its environmental performance or certification status. The company initially marketed tomatoes under the specialty variety name “Backyard Beauty.” That variety was later replaced by other varieties whose names were not disclosed in the cited reference material. Backyard Farms also considered expanding beyond tomatoes into peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, herbs, and strawberries, but the available material does not establish which of these expansion plans were ultimately implemented. Backyard Farms was previously owned by Devonshire Investors, the Boston-based private investment arm of Fidelity Investments. In June 2017, Devonshire Investors sold the company to Mastronardi Produce, a Canadian produce company based in Ontario. The transaction placed Backyard Farms within a larger fresh-produce organization. The available sources do not specify the transaction value, post-acquisition management structure, or the extent to which the Backyard Farms name continued as a distinct consumer-facing brand. The company’s known identity remains associated with greenhouse-grown tomatoes produced in Maine.

Backyard Farms was established in 2004 in Madison, Maine, as an agricultural company built around large-scale greenhouse cultivation. Its business model addressed the challenges of producing fresh tomatoes in a northern climate by placing the crop in a controlled environment. Rather than relying solely on seasonal outdoor agriculture, the company used greenhouse infrastructure to manage growing conditions and supply tomatoes for the United States market. A major development came in 2007, when Backyard Farms completed its first 25-acre greenhouse. The structure was reported to be the largest building by volume in Maine at that time and covered an area equivalent to about 20 football fields. Approximately 240,000 plants were grown inside, with vines capable of reaching 10 feet. The facility was projected to yield about one million tomatoes per week, illustrating the scale at which the company intended to operate. The greenhouse used rock wool rather than ordinary soil as the growing medium. Bumblebees were maintained inside the facility to pollinate the tomato plants. Rainwater draining from the greenhouse roofs was collected and reused as a supplement to irrigation water. These practices formed part of the company’s controlled-environment production system. In 2009, Backyard Farms completed a second greenhouse connected to the original structure. The combined facilities covered approximately 42 acres. The company’s tomatoes were initially associated with a specialty variety called Backyard Beauty, but that variety was later replaced with other varieties that were not identified in the cited source. The company also considered growing additional crops, including peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, herbs, and strawberries. The reference material does not confirm the final scope or commercial results of those plans. Backyard Farms was owned for a period by Devonshire Investors, a Boston-based investment organization associated with Fidelity Investments. In June 2017, Devonshire Investors sold the company to Mastronardi Produce, an Ontario-based Canadian produce company. The sale represented a change from ownership by a financial investment group to ownership by a strategic operator in the fresh-produce sector. Available information does not provide the purchase price, detailed integration plans, or subsequent operating performance. The documented history therefore centers on Backyard Farms’ development of large greenhouse facilities, its use of controlled-environment cultivation methods, and its eventual acquisition by Mastronardi Produce. The company is associated with Maine-grown, vine-ripened greenhouse tomatoes, but the available reference material is insufficient to establish a fuller account of later products, management, distribution, revenue, or current brand architecture.

• 2017

  Acquired by Mastronardi Produce

  [1]Backyard Farmsen.wikipedia.org

  Devonshire Investors sold Backyard Farms to Ontario-based Mastronardi Produce in June 2017.

• 2009

  Second greenhouse added

  [1]Backyard Farmsen.wikipedia.org

  A second greenhouse connected to the original facility increased the combined growing area to approximately 42 acres.

• 2007

  First major greenhouse completed

  [1]Backyard Farmsen.wikipedia.org

  The company completed a 25-acre greenhouse in Madison, described as the largest building by volume in Maine at the time.

• 2004

  Company founded

  [1]Backyard Farmsen.wikipedia.org

  Backyard Farms was established as a greenhouse agriculture company in Madison, Maine.

Controlled-environment, greenhouse-grown tomatoes produced in Maine for the United States fresh-produce market.

• Greenhouse tomatoes

  Backyard Beauty tomatoes

  Backyard Beauty was the specialty tomato variety originally associated with Backyard Farms. The variety was later replaced by other tomato varieties whose names were not disclosed in the available reference material.

• Fresh produce · 2007

  Vine-ripened greenhouse tomatoes

  The company’s core offering consisted of tomatoes cultivated in large Maine greenhouses and allowed to ripen on the vine. Plants were grown in rock wool, pollinated by bumblebees kept inside the facilities, and supported by controlled greenhouse conditions.

• 2021

  Backyard Farms ordered to pay back wages and penalties

  The U.S. Department of Labor ordered Backyard Farms to pay more than $245,000 in back wages to 117 employees and about $92,000 in penalties after finding violations of federal labor laws, including dismissing domestic workers and replacing them with foreign workers.

  Source

Read more

• 2017

  Sale to Mastronardi ProduceM&A

  Background

  Backyard Farms had been owned by Devonshire Investors, the Boston-based investment arm of Fidelity Investments. In June 2017, the owner sold the greenhouse produce company to Mastronardi Produce of Ontario.

  Action taken

  Ownership was transferred to Mastronardi Produce, a Canadian fresh-produce company.

  Aftermath

  The transaction placed Backyard Farms under a strategic produce-industry owner. The available source does not provide the purchase price, integration details, or later operating consequences.

  Source

• 2017

  Mastronardi Produce acquires Backyard Farms[1]Backyard Farmsen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Mastronardi Produce of Ontario acquired Backyard Farms from Devonshire Investors in June 2017. The acquisition transferred ownership of the Maine greenhouse tomato company to a larger Canadian produce business.

1. 1Backyard Farmsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Backyard Farms ordered to pay back wages and penaltiesmainepublic.org