Eric C. Robinson Inc. in Prince Edward Island: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Eric C. Robinson Inc. is one of Prince Edward Island's best-known potato businesses, a family operation in Prince County that combines large-scale farming with a potato dealership and a custom packing facility. Its founder, Eric Clinton Robinson, is an inductee of the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame, and the next generation has been honoured by the PEI Potato Board for lifetime contributions to the industry. Published profiles put the cropland at roughly 2,000 to 2,500 acres, far above the Island average farm size.
| Location | Albany area, Prince County, Prince Edward Island |
|---|---|
| Founded | Eric C. Robinson bought the family farm in 1942, per the Hall of Fame |
| Sectors | potatoes; soybeans; barley; forages; dealership; custom packing |
| Scale | About 2,000 to 2,500 acres, per two published profiles |
| Why it is elite | Founder in the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame; 2022 PEI Potato Board honour |
| Ownership | Family business; fifth generation growing potatoes, per a profile |
| Official website | Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame profile of Eric Clinton Robinson (no official site found) |
History of Eric C. Robinson Inc.
The Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame records that Eric Clinton Robinson was born and raised on the family farm and bought it from his father in 1942. With his wife, Edith, he raised two sons, John and Alan, who carried the business forward. Eric brought home equipment and varieties from North America and Europe, was among the first on PEI to use a bulk harvester and to grow the Netted Gem Russet Burbank, now the Island's most common variety, and extended credit to growers year after year.
The second generation kept the same mix. According to 2022 PEI Potato Board banquet coverage, John Robinson and his brother Allan ran a farm, packing shed and potato dealership, and sold grading and handling equipment, fertilizer and crop inputs. The family adopted strip cropping, terraces, berms and hedgerows early. In 1988 the brothers joined six other family farms to build and run Mid-Isle Farms Inc., a packing and washing operation. John also helped develop the Canadian Potato Marketing Agency.
What Eric C. Robinson Inc. Grows and Raises
A published farm profile describes roughly 500 acres each of potatoes, soybeans, barley and forages, with potatoes as the main crop and the others in rotation. Potatoes are grown for processing, table and seed markets. The profile describes Lori Robinson as the fifth generation of her family to grow potatoes in the area. The Hall of Fame entry says the company buys and sells PEI potatoes for domestic, United States and export markets. The two sources give different acreage totals, so treat 2,000 to 2,500 acres as the published range.
Statistics Canada reports that PEI farms plow down green crops and use winter cover crops far more often than the national average. A rotation of potatoes, grain, soybeans and forages fits that pattern and spreads weather and price risk. The custom packing facility washes, grades, packs and ships potatoes.
How Eric C. Robinson Inc. Makes Money
Potato production
Potatoes are the main crop, grown for processing, table and seed markets. Statistics Canada reports that potato farms produced 54.5 percent of PEI farm revenue in 2020, and several buyer channels reduce reliance on any single contract.
Dealership and marketing
The company buys and sells PEI potatoes for domestic, United States and export customers, per the Hall of Fame profile. Handling other growers' potatoes adds volume and market knowledge.
Custom packing and services
A custom packing facility washes, grades, packs and ships potatoes, and the family history includes selling equipment and crop inputs. These lines earn income that does not depend on the farm's own yields.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Eric C. Robinson Inc.
The Robinson story shows the value of owning more than one link in the potato chain. A grower who also packs, deals and services equipment can capture margin that would otherwise go to others. Joining six other farms to build Mid-Isle Farms Inc. spread the cost of a packing plant that few single farms could justify alone.
Conservation and scale can go together. Strip cropping, terraces and hedgerows were adopted decades ago and the current rotation continues that logic. This family built scale through trusted relationships, credit to neighbours and industry leadership, not only acres.
Few families can say a potato variety they imported became the Island standard, and the Netted Gem Russet Burbank's long run in Prince County is a fine bit of spud history. If you like farm satire after a long day of reading about rotation and packing sheds, farm.FM serves up farm humor, ranch humor and plenty of farm jokes, and we suspect a few of them involve tubers that refuse to be graded. We say that with respect for every grader and bulk harvester on the Island.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
How to Contact Eric C. Robinson Inc.
Website: https://dal.ca/diff/aahf/inductees/eric-robinson.html
No official website, address, phone or email for the operation was found in public sources reviewed in November 2026. The Hall of Fame page and the PEI Potato Board are the best verified public references; confirm contact details with the PEI Potato Board before traveling.
Eric C. Robinson Inc. Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame: Eric Clinton Robinson - Hall of Fame profile of the founder and the family farm
- Farms.com spotlight on Eric C. Robinson Inc. - Farm profile with crops and acreage
- PEI Potato Board banquet honourees, 2022 - Coverage of the John Robinson industry recognition award
- Statistics Canada: PEI 2021 Census of Agriculture - Province-wide farm and potato statistics
- PEI Government: Agriculture on PEI - Provincial overview of Island agriculture
Eric C. Robinson Inc. FAQ
What does Eric C. Robinson Inc. do?
It farms potatoes, soybeans, barley and forages in Prince County, deals in potatoes and operates a custom packing facility, per published profiles.
Why is it considered elite?
Its founder is an Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee, and family members have been honoured by the PEI Potato Board.
How big is the farm?
One profile lists 500 acres each of four crops; the Hall of Fame cites about 2,500 acres. Sources differ.
How can I contact the business?
No official website was found. Start with the PEI Potato Board.
Eric C. Robinson Inc. shows how a single Island family can build scale through mechanization, conservation, shared packing capacity and industry service across several generations. For wider context on soils, markets, land rules and credit, read our Prince Edward Island farms guide and then explore the other profiled operations.