Delfland in Quebec: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Delfland is a Van Winden family vegetable operation in Napierville, Quebec, on the black soils south of Montreal. It was named Famille agricole de l'annee 2013 by the Fondation de la famille terrienne, and in the 2023 Ordre national du merite agricole national ranking it placed fourth among gold-medal (Commandeur) farms in market-garden horticulture.
| Location | Napierville, Monteregie, Quebec |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 (as Delfland inc.), growing from a family farm bought in 1958 |
| Sectors | lettuce; French shallots; carrots; other market vegetables |
| Scale | More than 425 hectares; about 150 people at peak season (UPA family-of-the-year profile) |
| Why it is elite | Gold (Commandeur) in the 2023 Ordre national du merite agricole ranking; Famille agricole de l'annee 2013 |
| Ownership | Van Winden family; third generation has begun to hold shares |
| Official website | UPA Famille agricole de l'annee 2013 announcement (no official Delfland site found) |
History of Delfland
The Delfland story begins with Cisca and Arie Van Winden, who emigrated from the Netherlands in 1954 and joined Arie's brothers in Sherrington. They bought their first land in 1958, and Arie cleared and drained it. Their family grew to 12 children, and by the time of the 2013 award the couple had 56 descendants.
In 1983 Arie and his sons Leo and Yvon founded Delfland inc. A land purchase in 1997 of 700 acres tripled the family's land base at the time, and operations moved to Napierville. The farm now covers more than 425 hectares. Recognition followed over three decades: a national silver medal from the Ordre national du merite agricole in 2010, the AGRIcarrieres 'Ma ferme, mon monde' prize in 2011, the 2013 family-of-the-year title, and a place in the gold category of the 2023 national ranking.
The wider Van Winden family has deep roots in Quebec produce. A Fresh Attitude history page describes two Van Winden brothers buying a black-soil farm in Sherrington in 1952 and helping start a packing and marketing cooperative with other southern Quebec growers. Delfland is one branch of that tradition.
What Delfland Grows and Raises
The 2013 profile reports annual output of about 6 million heads of lettuce, 6,500 tonnes of French shallots and 2,000 tonnes of carrots. Early on the farm also grew celery, onions and carrots. Delfland spent about 10 years mastering French shallots and Chinese radish, and was among the first in Quebec to grow coloured carrots, so product development is part of the model, not an afterthought.
About 150 people work on the farm in peak season, roughly 20 of them family members. The operation meets high food safety and traceability standards and takes part in about 10 research projects a year. It hosts agriculture students and local schoolchildren and joined the UPA open-farm days, which builds the local labour pipeline as well as goodwill.
How Delfland Makes Money
Fresh vegetable sales through collective marketing
Delfland sells through a collective marketing arrangement with other growers, linked to Vegpro International and Groupe Vegco. Pooling volume with neighbours lets a grower serve national retail programs that a single farm could not supply year-round.
Specialty and higher-value crops
French shallots, Chinese radish and coloured carrots are the kind of differentiated crops the farm publicly highlights. They sit alongside commodity-style lettuce volume and give the business items that are harder to substitute.
Research participation and training
Taking part in roughly ten research projects a year helps the farm test varieties and practices early. Hosting students and school visits is not a direct revenue line, but it supports recruiting in a labour-intensive sector.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Delfland
Three lessons stand out. First, scale came from deliberate land steps (the 1997 purchase) paired with drainage and soil work, not from rented acres alone. Second, a collective marketing arrangement lets family farms keep ownership of production while sharing the cost of sales and logistics.
Third, long learning curves pay off: a decade spent mastering one crop is a business decision. Growers can copy the habit of joining research trials and pursuing food safety certification early, because retail buyers ask for both.
Few farms can claim a lettuce harvest counted in millions of heads, and the shallots grown at Delfland deserve their own fan club. At farm.FM the editors say farm satire works best when it is affectionate, and this is a farm where the farm humor writes itself: a family that cleared one field in 1958 and now has tonnes of shallots to count. Good ranch humor and farm jokes know that a black-soil vegetable grower works just as hard as any cattle outfit, and the staff there would simply like readers to eat their greens.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Delfland
No address, phone or email for Delfland was found on an official site, so none is listed. The UPA profile links Delfland to Vegpro International, whose Fresh Attitude brand publishes attitudefraiche.com; confirm any inquiry directly.
Delfland Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Famille agricole de l'annee 2013 - UPA announcement on the Van Winden family and Delfland
- Ordre national du merite agricole 2023 ranking - Official national ranking listing Delfland in the gold category
- Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Agriculture, Quebec - Quebec farm numbers and revenue shares
- MAPAQ agriculture statistics - Quebec ministry data on agricultural sectors
- The Packer on Quebec produce leaders - Independent coverage of Quebec vegetable growers including Delfland
Delfland FAQ
Where is Delfland located?
Delfland is based in Napierville in the Monteregie region of Quebec, south of Montreal, after a 1997 land purchase moved operations there.
What does Delfland grow?
The 2013 family profile reports about 6 million heads of lettuce, 6,500 tonnes of French shallots and 2,000 tonnes of carrots a year.
What awards has Delfland won?
A national silver medal from the Ordre national du merite agricole in 2010, a 2011 AGRIcarrieres prize, Famille agricole de l'annee 2013 for the family, and a gold-category place in the 2023 national ranking.
How can I contact Delfland?
No official site with contact details was found. The UPA profile links the farm to Vegpro International, whose Fresh Attitude brand has a site at attitudefraiche.com.
Delfland shows how a Dutch immigrant family built a multi-generation vegetable business in Quebec through land, drainage, shared marketing and steady investment in new crops. For more on the province and its top producers, read our Quebec farms guide and the other profiled operations.