Niagara has lost one of the pillars of its tender fruit and greenhouse industry with the February 13 passing of Alfred “Fred” Meyers. The 69-year-old president of operation at Meyers Farms died while surrounded by family and friends after a short battle with leukemia.
Fred was the son of Dutch immigrants Jim and Clazina Meyers, who established the Meyers Farm in 1955 in Niagara-on-the-Lake. At the age of 18, after a year studying horticulture at the University of Guelph, Fred became a partner in the business with his father.
His love of agriculture, balanced with an astute business mind, was instrumental in Meyers Farms’ success first in growing fruit and then in the floral industry.
The business began with the purchase of 46 acres, 26 of which comprised peach orchards and the remainder holding smaller crops of cherries, pears, plums, prunes and grapes.
The family business built its first greenhouses in the 1960s and began cultivating both vegetables and flowers indoors. During that decade they also began growing peaches, nectarines, strawberries, pumpkins, carrots and zucchini
By 1986, Fred had assumed the role of operations manager, overseeing 10 acres of greenhouses and 300 acres of orchards. During the 1980s Meyers Farms expanded its grape growing capacity, as well, as they moved into wine grapes.
In 2003, he strategically pushed the business forward by expanding the sale of its greenhouse crops into U.S. markets. Just three years ago, Meyers Farms cut the ribbon on a new 10-acre greenhouse on Stewart Road, ramping up Meyers’ production of potted plants, including kalanchoes, Easter lilies, chrysanthemums and poinsettias. The company now operates 40 acres of greenhouse space.
Fred’s son Jim, Meyers Farms’ vice president of sales and logistics, says his Dad was a jack of all trades who loved being a grower and also thrived in all business aspects of the operation, from sales to finance to operations.
“My Oma (Clazina) had worked in banking before immigrating,” Jim tells The Local. “And my Opa was passionate about growing. He was a natural, and he had a passion for business. My Dad was somewhere in between, which allowed him to be a great business operator in both the farm and greenhouse industries. ”
Fred’s sister Elly Hoff, vice president of human resources and administration and her son Aron, vice president of production, have rounded out the Meyers Farms administration team for the past few years. Jim’s brother Blake joined the team just two years ago.
“It’s been a collaborative effort between all of us,” Jim says about the organization’s continued growth. “Dad has always supported our goals as future owners as well. He had the same passion and appetite for the next step in the business. Being a multi-generational business, we always found a way to make things work, we always agreed on the big decisions.”
Away from the business, Jim says Fred always made life fun for him and his brothers Blake and Jordan and their mother Sandy.
“He was adventurous, and he loved to play pranks around the house,” Jim says. “He had a great sense of humour, and he had this humorous way of giving us advice. It made those conversations stick in our brains a little more than a normal textbook conversation. He did a great job of explaining things to us as a Dad.”
Fred took great joy in vacationing with the family. Whether it was hitting the ski slopes or a trip to Disney. Jim says his father was always the first one up and the last one to bed.
“He was always able to keep up with us kids,” Jim laughs, “and sometimes we were the ones who had to try to keep up with him.”
The golf course was Fred’s great place to escape and get his mind off business. He had a group of friends with whom he would hit the links every Tuesday night. The winner each week would be the one responsible for booking the following week’s tee times at a course of his choosing.
Through the years Fred contributed to the advancement of the Niagara tender fruit industry. He was active with organizations such as Flowers Canada, the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers, and the Grape Growers of Ontario.
In addition, he was a strong supporter of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers and Temporary Foreign Workers programs. He developed long-lasting friendships with workers from Jamaica and Mexico who to this day return to the farm due to the supportive environment he cultivated.
“He was passionate and dedicated to the farm and its employees,“ says Jim, “and also about helping individuals in need. He worked with various local organizations to assist those with disabilities, financial hardship, and addiction. And he was always willing to give a hand to any neighbour, fellow farmer, or friend.”
Fred survived a previous bout with stomach cancer a few years ago. As Jim remembers, his father never complained during that time and made the battle look a lot easier than it probably was.
The fight with leukemia took a toll on him the past 18 months, forcing him to slow down and pull himself away from the day-to-day operation of Meyers Farms.
“But we spent a lot of quality time together one-on-one and as a family,” Jim says. “Having the time together this past year, although very tough, it was pretty special. We made the best of it, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Jim believes his father is a true role model in how a family business, now in its third generation, can successfully develop and grow.
“One of the best things I think you can do is to work with your family,” he insists, “because you get to share some amazing time together. He never pressured us to come into the business. He encouraged all of his children and his nieces and nephews to follow their passions.”
Fred is survived by his wife Sandy, his sons Jim, Blake, and Jordan, his daughters-in-law Patricia, Rebecca and Ann, and his grandchildren Jarvis, Theo, and Robin.
A funeral mass will be held Saturday, February 24 at 11 a.m. at Covenant Christian Reformed Church on Parnell Rd in St. Catharines. A celebration of Fred’s life will follow from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at Meyers Fruit Farms, 957 Stewart Road in NOTL.
