Hilltop Produce Ltd. in Kinkora, PEI: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Hilltop Produce Ltd. is a Kinkora, Prince Edward Island potato farm that a published profile credits with growing over 40 million pounds of Russet potatoes. Andrew and Heidi Lawless, who run the operation with a four-generation family history behind it, were named 2014 Atlantic Outstanding Young Farmers, and national coverage that year named the Island couple among the Canadian winners. Their partnership was described as producing about 1,200 acres of potatoes.
| Location | Kinkora, Prince County, Prince Edward Island |
|---|---|
| Founded | Family has farmed for four generations, per a published profile |
| Sectors | Russet potatoes; potato growing partnership |
| Scale | Over 40 million pounds of Russets; partnership of about 1,200 acres of potatoes, per published sources |
| Why it is elite | 2014 Atlantic Outstanding Young Farmers; named among the Canadian winners that year |
| Ownership | Lawless family; joint venture R&L Farms with the Roberts family |
| Official website | PotatoPro 2014 profile of Hilltop Produce Ltd. (no official site found) |
History of Hilltop Produce Ltd.
A 2014 profile first published by Welcome PEI and reproduced by PotatoPro describes the Lawless family as having farmed for four generations. Andrew Lawless took up the work as a boy, helping after school, and went on to run Hilltop Produce Ltd. in Kinkora with his wife, Heidi. The farm grew in recent years to the volume of more than 40 million pounds of Russet potatoes that the profile reports.
In 2014 Andrew and Heidi were named Atlantic Outstanding Young Farmers through Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers program, sponsored by Farm Credit Canada and other industry partners. Grainews reported that the PEI couple, described as part of a potato growing and processing partnership producing about 1,200 acres of potatoes, shared the national title that year with a Manitoba couple. The Lawless family also formed R&L Farms as a joint venture with Gerry, Peter and Austin Roberts of Roberts Farm.
What Hilltop Produce Ltd. Grows and Raises
Hilltop Produce grows Russet potatoes, a variety type long associated with Island production. The farm uses GPS-equipped tractors and other modern technology, and the profile says potato fields are rotated every three years, which it ties to PEI's strict environmental regulations. Statistics Canada reports that PEI's average potato farm covers about 1,252 acres of farm area, so a partnership around 1,200 potato acres sits at the top end of the Island's scale.
The joint venture structure matters. By combining with the Roberts family in R&L Farms, the Lawless operation shares equipment, labour and land with another established grower. The profile notes that early new potatoes reach local markets and roadside stands, while the large volumes of Russets point to the processing and storage chain that dominates PEI potato revenue.
How Hilltop Produce Ltd. Makes Money
Russet potato production
The core revenue is potatoes. Statistics Canada reports that potato farms produced 54.5 percent of PEI farm revenue in 2020, and a producer at Hilltop's volume sells into the Island's large storage and processing system. The farm does not publish buyers or prices, so none are stated here.
Partnership economics
R&L Farms combines the Lawless and Roberts operations. Sharing machinery, storage and management lets each family spread fixed costs over more acres, which matters when potato equipment is expensive.
Fresh and local sales
New potatoes from the farm reach local markets and roadside stands, according to the profile. That adds an early-season outlet that differs from storage-based processing sales.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Hilltop Produce Ltd.
The Lawless story is a case study in growth through partnership. Instead of buying every acre alone, the family built a joint venture with another established grower, a structure that suits PEI, where the Lands Protection Act caps individual holdings and land is costly. Operators in other regions can ask whether a shared venture would give them scale without doubling debt.
A second lesson is the link between rotation and long-term yield. A three-year rotation, GPS guidance and attention to environmental rules show that high volumes and regulatory compliance can support each other. Recognition such as the Outstanding Young Farmers award also brings visibility that helps recruit staff, partners and lenders.
Moving over 40 million pounds of Russets is the sort of number that makes a Kinkora hilltop feel crowded, and we mean that fondly. After a day of rotation planning, the farm satire and farm humor at farm.FM are a good place to unwind, with ranch humor and farm jokes that even a spud grower in a GPS tractor can enjoy. We promise no joke is as steady as a three-year rotation.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
How to Contact Hilltop Produce Ltd.
Website: https://www.potatopro.com/news/2014/profile-prince-edward-island-potato-farmer
No official website, address, phone or email was found in public sources reviewed in November 2026. The PotatoPro profile is the best verified public page; confirm contact details through the PEI Potato Board before traveling.
Hilltop Produce Ltd. Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- PotatoPro: Profile of a Prince Edward Island Potato Farmer - 2014 profile of Hilltop Produce Ltd. and the Lawless family
- Grainews: PEI and Manitoba couples named Outstanding Young Farmers - National award coverage naming the Lawless partnership
- Atlantic Outstanding Young Farmers winners - List of Atlantic winners including 2014 Kinkora
- Statistics Canada: PEI 2021 Census of Agriculture - Province-wide farm and potato statistics
- PEI Government: Agriculture on PEI - Provincial overview of Island agriculture
Hilltop Produce Ltd. FAQ
What is Hilltop Produce Ltd.?
A Kinkora, PEI potato farm that a 2014 profile says grows over 40 million pounds of Russets.
Why is it elite?
Its operators won the 2014 Atlantic Outstanding Young Farmers award and were named among the Canadian winners that year.
What is R&L Farms?
A joint venture between the Lawless family and the Roberts family of Roberts Farm.
How can I contact the farm?
No official site was found. Use the PEI Potato Board as a starting point.
Hilltop Produce Ltd. shows how family succession, partnership and careful rotation can build a top-tier Russet potato business in Prince County. For soils, markets, land rules and credit across the Island, read our Prince Edward Island farms guide.