2024 Grower Outlook: Chris Veillon of Pure Flavor
March 18, 2024 
Chris Veillon
In our 2024 “Grower Outlook” series, we’re talking to greenhouse produce operations about their biggest challenges, achievements and plans for 2024. CEAg World recently interviewed Chris Veillon, Chief Marketing Officer of vertically integrated greenhouse grower Pure Flavor, whose company-owned acreage totals 205 acres in Canada and 55 in the U.S. (25 in Georgia and 30 in Illinois).
CEAg World: What were Pure Flavor’s biggest achievements in 2023, and how will you build on them in 2024?
Chris Veillon: The space is booming to say the least with an extensive array of mergers and acquisitions. The bigger players are getting bigger, acquiring smaller operations. Significant growth from the “OG”(greenhouse-grown has been alive and well for decades) of the CEA space … sees more investment across the board. Demand is increasing, which fuels expansion of growing networks by region and/or country.
Expansions a decade ago ranged from 2 to 10 acres for the most part. Today, expansions are ranging from 25 to 50-plus acres in one shot to maximize operation efficiencies. The ramp-up in builds has increased significantly.
Pure Flavor tripled the acreage on its home farm site in less than 18 months to 75 acres. [It then] built another 40 acres and a 210,000-square-foot distribution center which opened in early 2023 to bring the site to 115 acres of production, all on one site. Pure Flavor has been on a significant growth path with the following acquisitions in the last 12 months: DeTemporada Farms, Cervini Farms C5, and MightyVine.
CEAg World: What are Pure Flavor’s goals for 2024?
Chris Veillon: Increasing operational efficiencies across the board is one of the top goals for Pure Flavor in 2024 given the significant growth and expansion the family-operated company experienced in the last 12 months.
Integrating new farms efficiently into an existing and vast supply chain system are top priorities. The increase in product volume is a welcome boost given the surging demand from Pure Flavor retail and food service partners. Managing multiple crop cycles across many facilities will also provide greater flexibility in volume and general product availability year-round.
Adding the MightyVine brand to Pure Flavor’s expanding portfolio will also help create new opportunities to support regional growing programs. With the success of Pure Flavor’s Georgia-based greenhouse and integration into Georgia Grown promotional programs, the brand is excited to create an even stronger MightyVine brand presence in the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest!
CEAg World: What do you foresee as your biggest challenges this year, and how will you deal with them?
Chris Veillon: Meeting the demand for more product continues to be an opportunity to expand acreage, product assortment, regional programs and more. Growers are navigating through disease pressures with new varieties. Our R&D team continues to expand its portfolio with different varieties across different commodities being trialed across multiple farms in different countries. Our worldwide search continues to yield interesting opportunities to provide greater value opportunities at retail. With a focus on flavor profile, not everything needs to be red and round to be flavorful. The launch of our international award-winning Tiki Tomatoes is a case in point. Our future is fresh friendly.
CEAg World: What are you the most excited for this year?
Chris Veillon: Growth. There is a significant amount of excitement company-wide about the significant industry strides that Pure Flavor has made in the last 18 months, evolving into an even larger industry player, not only on acquisitions but product assortment as well.
The launch of the produce industry’s first commercially available greenhouse-grown melon program is yet another example of how Pure Flavor is thinking forward to removing seasonality of produce. R&D is prompting the opportunity to take crops that have been traditionally grown in a field and trial them in a controlled environment atmosphere. After eight years of trials, Pure Flavor’s R&D program yielded the first commercially available greenhouse-grown melon in May 2022, the Solara Mini Galia Melon, followed by the Alonna Canary Melon in October 2022 and then the Oronai Sweet Charentais Melon in October 2023.
From a reach standpoint, the ability to explore new markets is creating excitement at retail. Our recent acquisitions and new product launches continue to garner a greater spotlight on Pure Flavor as an interesting partner to work with. More exciting new product launches are coming in [this spring]. Be sure to be on the lookout!