Brookdale Treeland Nurseries Named 2023 International Grower of the Year

The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) has awarded the title of International Grower of the Year 2023 to Brookdale Treeland Nurseries Ltd (BTN), a Canadian ornamentals grower. The Gold Rose award was presented to BTN on Jan. 24 at IPM Essen, Germany.

BTN is one of the largest and most respected growers of garden plants in Canada. They service garden retailers, landscape contractors, municipalities and golf courses throughout Canada and the United States. With four farms in Ontario and one in British Columbia, BTN has a land base of more than 800 acres.

In addition to the Gold Rose award, BTN was also awarded gold in the Finished Plants & Trees category and bronze in the Sustainability category.

Jeff Olsen, president and CEO of BTN, says, “We feel amazing, so blessed, to be honoured with these awards. It means so much to me personally and our whole team back in Canada. We’re so excited to tell them the news.”

Jason Rekker, national production manager for BTN, adds, “The level of competition here is extremely high and we’re humbled by that. There are so many fantastic growers here so it feels very special for us to be recognised in this way.”

The IGOTY 2023 category winners are:

Young International Grower of the Year

Eliot Barden, production and education manager for Majestic Trees, UK

Young Plants

Gold: Morel Diffusion, France Silver: SB Talee de Colombia SAS, Colombia Bronze: Xiamen Ican Seed Co., Ltd., China

Finished Plants & Trees

Gold: Brookdale Treeland Nurseries Ltd, Canada Silver: Giorgio Tesi Group, Italy Bronze: Fructoplant SP. Z O.O., Poland

Cut Flowers & bulbs

Gold: Royal Base Corporation, Chinese Taipei Silver: Zhejiang Toyoshima Co., LTD., China Bronze: Zentoo, the Netherlands

Sustainability

Gold: Allensmore Nurseries, UK Silver: Xiamen Ican Seed Co., Ltd., China Bronze: Brookdale Treeland Nurseries Ltd, Canada

Founded in 2009 with the support of Royal FloraHolland and FloraCulture International, the International Grower of the Year Awards (IGOTY) Awards recognize best practice in horticulture by the top ornamental production nurseries from around the globe, celebrating the expertise and energy they give to horticulture.

Bernard Oosterom, chair of the IGOTY 2023 jury commented: “Brookdale Treeland Nurseries stands out as a business focused on the future; with a wide assortment and a flow of new varieties it brings something new to the industry all the time. The business prioritises sustainable production and innovation with a commitment to knowledge exchange and growing a strong team.  It’s dynamic approach has enabled it to develop new products and markets and is well founded to lead the industry in the years ahead.”

For more information about each of the winners, take a look at the digital Winners Brochure, and entry for IGOTY 2024 is now open.