Winter Farm's roots
Winter Farm is a Quebec company that was founded by Yves Daoust in 2018. An engineer by training, Yves spent his entire career finding technological solutions for industries undergoing profound change. It was now time for him to return to his roots: agriculture. Yves grew up on a fruit and vegetable farm in Vaudreuil, Quebec. From an early age, he became aware of the importance of food security, and of 4 major challenges to achieve it:
- Quebec’s dependence on numerous food imports
- The rapid increase in the world’s population and, by extension, its food requirements
- Increasingly unpredictable weather, resulting in the widespread use of unhealthful and polluting pesticides and chemicals
- An alarming loss of arable land
Winter Farm’s agronomists, scientists, engineers, and technology and AI experts are studying these grave issues.
Farming 4.0: an economic driver in the making
Our mission
To build, with our partners, a network of Winter Farms, thus creating an industrial hub in vertical agriculture with a worldwide influence. With their varied and plentiful agricultural output, these farms will supply nutritious, delicious and affordable food to people year round. This transformation of the agricultural cycle will allow us to increase our food self-sufficiency and protect the environment.
Our vision
Each region of the world has the right to food self-sufficiency.
The Winter Farm team
Pooling their respective expertise, they are shaping the future of farming, today.
Alain Brisebois
President and Chief Executive Officer
After transforming the retail industry while working at Rona, Métro and Couche-Tard, Alain is taking on a new challenge as CEO of Winter Farm.
Yves Daoust
Founder and Chief Operating Officer
An experienced entrepreneur, Yves has worked in agriculture, telecommunications and information technology.
Stéphane Rainville
Chef Technology Officer
Stéphane has more than 25 years of experience managing technology teams in a number of fields, including video games, consulting, opportunity appraisal and venture capital.
Andrew Pietrobon
Vice President, Finance
Chartered financier, accountant and administrator, Andrew oversees the financial actions of Winter Farm.
Kashif Riaz, Ph.D.
Smart Farming Director
Kashif is a leader in agricultural research with more than 15 years of experience. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed research articles.
Luc Brodeur
Director, Agronomy
Over the course of his career, Luc has received many honours, including the 2018 International IPM Award of Recognition at the 9th International Integrated Pest Management Symposium
Brunilde Amesse, Agriculture Farming Technician
Assistant Director, Agronomy
With more than 20 years of experience working with Quebec’s fruit and vegetable growers, Brunilde is helping Winter Farm fine-tune its agronomic practices.
Jean Lachance
Director of Operations and Construction
Mr Lachance has more than 30 experience in IT and construction.
Paul Maco
Head, Business Development
Paul Maco stands out for his strategic thinking and his passion for business development. He oversees the company deployment strategy.
Daphné Mailhot
Marketing and Communication Manager
Daphne is in charge of digital communication and public relations.
Elena Ardilla
Supervisor, Accounting
Elena accompanies Ferme d’Hiver in its expansion and takes care of accounting, finance and administration.