Our story
Global Roots Canada is a micro-farm in Cookshire-Eaton, in Quebec's Estrie region. We grow the African vegetables, greens, peppers and herbs that so many families here grew up with — from seeds we carry from Africa, and can rarely find fresh in Canada.
Our name says it plainly: global roots, grown in Canada. We bring seeds from Africa — much of them from Burundi — and raise them in Quebec soil, so the food that means home to our community is finally growing in the place they now call home.
It's a small idea with a big payoff: fresher food, a shorter journey, real cultural authenticity, and value that stays in the local economy.
Across Quebec, the vegetables at the centre of African cooking usually arrive the hard way: imported from far away — often frozen — marked up along the route, and tired by the time they reach a plate. Families make do with substitutes or pay a premium for something that isn't quite fresh.
We thought there was a better answer — grow it right here. On a small, carefully tended plot, we raise the specific crops these kitchens call for, harvest them at their peak, and get them to the people who've been waiting for them.
We're a family operation — run by two brothers who tend the field, plan the seasons, and pack every order themselves. It stays small enough to know personally: you can ask what's ready, how it was grown, and when to expect it, and get a real answer from the people who grew it.
We also bring real expertise to it. Both of us are hands-on growers with real experience in organic-leaning production — and Frank's background in science sharpens how we care for these crops: soil health, nutrient balance, growing conditions, plant care. So African varieties don't just survive a Quebec season, they thrive. Between years in the field and that scientific eye, we know these plants intimately — and it shows in what reaches your table.
We farm a compact acreage using sustainable, organic-leaning methods — compost-rich soil, drip irrigation, mulching, succession planting to make the most of small acreage, integrated pest management, and rapid post-harvest cooling to lock in freshness. Flavour and freshness come before volume. Small scale is a feature, not a limitation: it's what lets us grow the unusual, culturally specific varieties bigger operations skip.
This season we're focused on our direct-to-customer community — growing our range and getting our produce into the kitchens that want it most.
With more of our site in production — plus a greenhouse and wash-pack station — we're growing toward wider availability and value-added products like washed greens, frozen greens and dried herbs.
We grow for the African and immigrant families of the region — and for every local cook curious about food they haven't tasted fresh before.
See what's growing, join a share, or just say hello — we'd love to hear what you're looking for.
