Our Team

  • Benoit Coulombe

    Co-founder, short circuit sales and distribution Coordinator, general Manager and Producer in organic vegetable and fruit farming

    Benoit is an artist-gardener passionate about the plant world and mycology. Born in Montreal, he spent the vast majority of his life in Montérégie. After more than twenty years working in the agri-food industry and then as a teacher in horticultural production, he adopted agroecological methods and co-founded Ferme Giroflée with Nancy with the aim of creating beauty at the heart of a laboratory for biodiversity. The blueberry farm first, the final idea of ​​this project was also to produce excellent quality food in order to feed local communities and for the pleasure of discovering new varieties. Through research and experimentation, the determination of this self-taught man allowed him to build a reputation as an expert in the production of organic fruits and vegetables.

  • Nancy Blanchette

    Assistant of organic vegetable and fruit production, Co-founder and Direct sales coordinator

    Originally from Montérégie, Nancy has always loved the picturesque village of Hemmingford and its community. In her mid-twenties, she, her son Jeremy and Benoit Coulombe, who was then her husband, settled in the village. Baptiste and Caleb are then born. 10 years later, Nancy discovers that her former professor of agriculture, Giles Collins, is selling her property on Napper Road. The purchase concluded, the small family moved there and made an organic blueberry. Although she and Benoit are no longer in a relationship, they are still good friends and Nancy continues to work at La Giroflée, which maintains the family aspect of the farm and facilitates work-family balance. In addition to monitoring plant production, orders and packaging, she coordinates sales at the farm’s booth, a small nod to her years at the popular Atwater Market.

  • Mariklôde Tardi

    Gardener assistant, Administrative assistant, Social innovation project manager and Communications coordinator

    Multidisciplinary artist and former nurse, the quest for achieving global health led this native of Lotbinière to agroecology in 2007. Back on the university benches in 2015 with the goal of making a career change, she studied communication and literature before embarking on a master’s degree in social innovation management at HEC Montréal. Strongly inhabited by socio-environmental values, it's the concept 'living laboratory' that attracted her to Giroflée. Harmoniously integrated into our team from its arrival in spring 2023, Mariklôde is involved in administration, co-management, gardening, development of projects for the transition in addition to coordinating and creating the graphic content, audiovisual and editorial of our communications.

  • Claudio Domingo Márquez-Hernández

    Agricultural labourer in organic gardening

    Claudio is a precious help at Ferme Giroflée. Working, committed and persevering, he is the right hand of our production assistant. Native of Mexico, he lives in Durango, a small village in the state having the same name with his wife and children. His first agricultural work experience in Canada was in a wild blueberry farm in Lac-Saint-Jean. He then went through the apple harvest before arriving at Giroflée in 2021. Proud of his origins, Claudio loves to put the atmosphere in the field with music typical of his country. Moreover, his talents in Mexican cuisine are appreciated here by all. During the season, we often have the chance to feast on Claudio’s delicious tacos accompanied by his famous secret hot sauce.

  • Mél La Louve

    Aide-maraîchère en agriculture biologique et Spécialiste en taille

    Toujours prête à rendre service, cette femme au cœur immense adore les plantes et les animaux. Arrivée à la Giroflée en 2019, une de ses activités favorites à la ferme est sans aucun doute la cueillette. Mais ce printemps, armée de son sécateur pour gauchère et de ses compétences en taille, Mél a passé au peigne fin tous les plants de la bleuetière. Son excellent travail et sa nouvelle passion pour la taille et la science végétale ont complètement changé l’allure de la bleuetière ainsi que le paysage du Canton d’Hemmingford. Les plants sont beaux, bien équilibrés, plus abondants en fruits que jamais et le visuel général est magnifique. Nous tenons donc à remercier sincèrement Mél, une femme rigoureuse et loyale que nous voyons fleurir de jour en jour au fil des saisons.

  • Sergio Rodolfo Joj Chavez

    Manœuvre agricole en maraîchage biologique

    Sergio est Guatémalthèque. Il habite avec sa femme et ses deux enfants à Santa Lucía Utatlán, une ville située dans le département de Sololá où il est charpentier-menuisier et conceptualise différents types de construction. Arrivé au Canada en 2021 pour la toute première fois, le travail agricole à l'étranger s'est présenté à lui comme une opportunité. À la Giroflée depuis 2022, nous avons vite constaté que Sergio est une personne de confiance. Sa rigueur et sa grande vivacité d'esprit attirent l'estime de tous. C'est un être créatif qui recherche la nouveauté, l'innovation et qui fuit la monotonie. Son rêve serait alors de pouvoir créer des projets qu'il pourra organiser avec d'autres et qui permettront à tous de pouvoir s'élever.

  • Charles Richards

    Organic gardening worker

    Charles was an instant favourite of ours. He was a musician and writer and lived in Montreal for much of his life. Curious and willing, he chose the Giroflée environment for the opportunity of physical outdoor work and for people, a team concerned with the meaning of work, community and impact on ecology. Since his arrival here in the summer of 2023, such a profound change has taken place in him that he decided to settle in our beautiful region. In addition to taking care of crop maintenance, harvesting and packaging, Charles coordinates the inventory of products from the farm and collectives for distribution. Also, he sometimes drives our truck to make deliveries to our employees, customers and partners.

  • Reymondo Perez Aguilar

    Agricultural labourer in organic gardening.

    Reymundo loves poutine, Quebec’s climate, nature, vegetation and flowers. Living in Guadalajara, a city in the Mexican state of Jalisco, he and his girlfriend work in conventional vegetable farming. But since 4 years, he decided to take the plunge and explore the world by becoming a temporary agricultural worker in Quebec where he started for an organic vegetable farm. Arriving at Giroflée in spring 2024, Reymundo is an excellent market gardener and a very good ally on the farm. Kind, meticulous and persevering, his natural leadership makes this young man a loved one. Later, his wish to buy a property to establish his farm project for him and his family in Mexico.

  • Juan Manuel Zavala Najera

    Agricultural labourer in organic gardening

    Juan Manuel lives with his fiancée in Guanajuato, a city in the state of the same name northwest of the Federal District of Mexico. Having had his first experience as an agricultural worker in Quebec in 2023, he started in a strawberry plantation in Lanaudière before arriving at our blueberry farm during the summer. In his spare time, this nice young man plays football (soccer) and listens to rock music. Passionate about plant production, Juan Manuel dreams of becoming an agronomist and starting his own farm project for himself and his family. At La Giroflée, we are happy to welcome her and help her achieve her goals both personally and professionally.

  • Roberto Banda Galvan

    Manœuvre agricole en maraîchage biologique

    Roberto vient d'une famille d'agriculteurs. Vivant dans l'état de Morelos au Mexique avec sa femme et ses enfants, il y cultive une variété de cactus qui se consomme comme un légume. Puisque ce cactus se récolte de septembre à février, Roberto comble son année en venant travailler au Canada et cela fait déjà 10 ans qu'il travaille à l'étranger. De la Colombie-Britannique au Québec, il a développé une expertise dans le fruitier, le maraîcher, le floral et l'apiculture. Il faut également souligner que Roberto est un excellent pédagogue pour la transmission des connaissances aux nouveaux employés de la ferme. Arrivée à la Giroflée en 2021, l'élément qu'il apprécie le plus est le fait que nous cultivons de manière biologique. Son intention est d'ailleurs d'appliquer les connaissances qu'il aura acquises ici à son projet d'autonomisation familial.

  • Deborah Simons

    Aide-maraîchère en agriculture biologique

    Debbie est passionnée par les plantes et le monde du vivant. Pour elle, chaque plante et chaque insecte a sa place dans la nature. Résidant à Hemmingford depuis 6 ans, cette adorable humaine a une expérience de plus de 30 ans dans la culture en serre et en aménagement paysager. Extrêmement empathique, Debbie ne porte de jugement sur quiconque. Elle préfère plutôt faire rire les gens qui ont la mine triste. Pour elle, la Giroflée est un lieu d'inspiration important pour la préservation de la biodiversité où elle est fière de s'engager. Nous sommes également très heureux que Debbie se soit jointe à notre équipe en 2024.

  • Alex Pardo Jiménez

    Market gardener's helper in organic farming

    Alex holds a teaching degree in mathematics and physics from the Universidad del Atlántico Barranquilla in Colombia. Currently in the process of obtaining his permanent resident status in Canada, he worked for several months with children in a CPE in the region and now works full time at La Giroflée. Arriving with us in the summer of 2022, this man with a charming smile acts as a reception agent for foreign workers in addition to helping with production management, packaging and labeling. Positive, versatile, caring and honest, Alex loves teamwork, organization and a job well done. His favorite color is green and he loves music, especially Colombian music.

  • Montana Doucette

    Gardener helper and Forest management specialist

    A native of Hemmingford, Montana arrived with us in 2018. At the time, his motivation and valuable contribution allowed the progress of soil preparation where one of the most impressive and arduous tasks was to carry out the extraction of immense rocks. You can also imagine the scale of the challenge by looking at a portion of the rock which now makes up the landscape, including the low wall built at the southeast corner of the fields at the junction of Williams and Napper roads. Poet and musician, Montana is also a lover of travel. Embodying “living differently”, this child of the forest occupies a position at Giroflée made to measure for him. In addition to numerous market gardening activities, he always volunteers to participate in agroforestry tasks.

  • Baptiste Coulombe

    Quality Controller and Recipe Developer

    The eldest of the Coulombe family, commonly called Bape or Tiste, was born on Rue Frontière in the village of Hemmingford. Arriving at the house on Napper Road during his childhood, he contributed, like other members of the family, to the establishment of the organic blueberry farm. It was over time that he developed his interests in flora, edible plants and culinary exploration. Ranging from mushroom risotto to sole with butter sauce, it is clear that Baptiste knows how to feed his people well. Finishing his secondary studies this year, his passion for the art of the table pushed him to pursue this path. We wish him the greatest success!

  • Pom

    Grand guardian of the estate

    Pom is the grand guardian of Ferme Giroflée. Arriving with us in 2014, this old mutt accompanied us throughout the establishment of the cornflower field. Giroflée is his domain. Pom loves to accompany us to walk in the fields or just to sit there, near us, when we work the land. It must also be said that he has a weakness for our foreign workers. When visitors arrive on the site, he goes towards them with Bear, his sidekick in training, on the one hand to welcome them, and on the other hand, to notify us of their arrival. Pom is very nice, but he is also very old. Sometimes he yaps at joggers or cyclists or doesn't remember that he's not allowed to lie down in the street. If you speak to him, know that Pom understands French.

  • Bear

    Cadet guardian of the estate

    Bear is the cadet guardian of Ferme Giroflée. Currently in training, we had the chance to welcome this sweet dog at the end of summer 2023. This unfailing ball of love loves people and, more than anything, he loves to play. His favorite toy is a chicken that makes a “squee” which he nibbles while frolicking on the field and wriggling with its four legs in the air while rubbing its back on the grass. When visitors arrive at the Giroflée site, Bear goes towards them to greet them, receive hugs and, finally, to ensure that he is loved by them. Bear is a very good dog. If you speak to him, know that he understands English much better than French.