Meet the rooftop market garden farmers
Four start-up companies cultivate the soil of the rooftop garden, each pursuing a mission of circular economy and sustainable development.
The rooftop market garden of the Esplanade Tranquille
Did you know that 7,000 sq. ft. of cultivable soil can be found right in the heart of downtown Montreal? It’s the rooftop market garden of the Esplanade Tranquille Pavilion! Not accessible to the public, it’s nonetheless bursting with life, as the teams of four start-up companies supervised by the Urban Agriculture Laboratory (AU/LAB) are busy at work here every day: Fleurs en Ville, Biome, Emporium Safran Québec, and Super Boat People. Both an agricultural experiment and a circular economy initiative in the Quartier, the rooftop market garden is also being built in partnership with the City of Montreal.
Rooftop market garden of the Esplanade Tranquille 2023
What's growing in the rooftop market garden?
The first section of the roof is dedicated to growing different varieties of flowers, most of them from specialty tulip bulbs. Further down, it’s populated by kale, basil, oregano, thyme, lemongrass, lavender, chamomile, lettuces, peppers and radishes. Another part of the large food garden is devoted to saffron, and a final section to Southeast Asian vegetables and herbs.
And for whom are these crops intended?
The rooftop market garden—the ultimate circular-economy project—sells most of its harvests directly to individuals in the Quartier and to local restaurant owners. These include Galaxie Brasserie on the first floor and Café Tranquille upstairs.
Paola Saavedra, Fleurs en Ville
Fleurs en Ville
This company, founded by Paola Saavedra in 2019, grows some 50 varieties of ornamental flowers ecologically and in sync with nature’s cycles, both on the roof of the Esplanade Tranquille and on a huge field on Île-Bizard.
Stephen Senghor, Biome
Biome
Stephan Senghor’s small urban agriculture company grows a variety of crops using innovative market gardening techniques. Its harvests are a boon to restaurant owners in the Quartier, and find their way onto your plate or in your favorite cocktails.
Micheline Sylvestre
Emporium Safran
Micheline Sylvestre produces saffron in the Quartier des Spectacles and on her farm in Lanaudière. Her mission: to raise awareness of this little-known spice and pass on to consumers her passion for home-grown saffron!
Super Boat People
Super Boat People
This collective of second-generation Montrealers from Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese immigrant families is as active in urban agriculture as it is in organizing socio-cultural activities and culinary workshops. Their mission: to promote the cultures of Southeast Asia and reconnect with their roots.
Emporium Safran's saffron plant on the rooftop market gardent of the Esplanade Tranquille 2023
Rooftop market garden of the Esplanade Tranquille 2023
Visit of the rooftop market garden of the Esplanade Tranquille 2024