Robert Bourgeois
NEW BRUNSWICK
Robert Bourgeois was born in 1957, and grew up in the community of Belliveau-Village, in present-day Memramcook. The family home was surrounded by rows of apple trees, some planted by Sebastien Bourgeois, the distant relative who had established what would one day become Verger Belliveau Orchard. Robert鈥檚 father Louis would eventually purchase the company in 1967. Robert helped out extensively on the farm, becoming familiar with a wide range of orchard tasks and developing a lasting appreciation for farming as a lifestyle.
In 1979, Robert enrolled in the Plant Science program at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. He credits this program for instilling in him a deeper understanding and respect for the roles of soil and plant physiology in a farm鈥檚 success, and creating lifelong networks of friends within the farming community.
Returning to Verger Belliveau Orchard in 1983, Robert worked extensively in the fields, overseeing diverse expansion projects. In 1987, he recognized the value-added potential of making sweet cider with non-graded apples, and became the first 鈥榥on-farmer鈥� in the country to access Farm Credit Canada funds for a 鈥榥on-agricultural鈥� project.
In the 1990s, Robert explored different business ventures in addition to the day-to-day operations of the farm, including a beef cow/calf operation, a trucking company, and a garden centre. He also led a group of growers and wine-making enthusiasts to lobby the province to adopt what would eventually become the Cottage Winery Policy. This enabled farms to add further value to their crops by making wines. The Bourgeois farm added a winery in 1999, and has produced several award-winning wines, as well as sparkling fruit juices.
Since then, Robert has been at the forefront of agricultural innovation in New Brunswick, investing in new apple cultivars and orchard systems that are constantly evolving towards higher-density plantings. He was instrumental in the farm鈥檚 decision to build a new packing facility in 2003, and state-of-the-art storage facilities in 2014. The farm also has a long history of hosting government growing trials and collaborating with researchers.
Verger Belliveau Orchard currently manages approximately 80,000 apple trees on over 100 acres, and operates the only wholesale distribution apple packing facility in the province. The farm has also recently seen the launch of SCOW Craft Cider, has increased vegetable production, and has embraced the growth of agritourism with its U-Pick, an economuseum, orchard tours, and an on-farm store and caf茅.
Robert has been recognized by his peers with the Golden Apple Award in 1982 and 1989, by the Southeast Regional Entrepreneurship Gala as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014, and by the New Brunswick Institute of Agrologists for an Agricultural Leadership Award in 2014.
Robert has served on numerous boards, including the New Brunswick Fruit Growers Association, the Memramcook Chamber of Commerce, the New Brunswick Agricultural and Agri-Food Council, Enterprise South-East, and the South-East Tourism Association. He has also travelled extensively to keep up with the latest developments in the agri-food industry. He is heavily involved in strategic planning endeavours by the NB apple industry.
Robert is proudly joined on the farm by his son Samuel, who oversees sales, field, and packing operations, and his daughter Sonya, who acts as Outreach Coordination for SCOW Cider.
Nominated by the Apple Growers of New Brunswick for his entrepreneurial drive and dedication to improvements within the apple industry, Robert Bourgeois is a worthy inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.