He started as a harvest truck driver for a six-week stint. From there, his career progressed year over year as he gradually took on different roles and more responsibility.
Sixteen years later, Richard Klassen is the Director of Table Potato Production at Kroeker Farms.
Klassen says when he started with the company, there were approximately 100 employees at that time.
“Now when we get into the harvest season, we’re at that 300 mark. There’s value in employees being on the same page, working toward the same goals.” Klassen strives to ensure there’s as much connection between 300 people as there was between 100.
But the farm’s history goes back much further than Klassen’s time with the company.
“The Kroekers were pioneers in a lot of ways,” reflects Klassen. “They were the first corn growers in the area and that took a lot of work on their part.”
It all began in 1928, when Abram Kroeker and his wife Elizabeth (Nickel) started farming six miles southeast of Winkler.
When an entire crop of corn was destroyed by severe August frost in 1942, they switched to growing potatoes. Then in 1955, Kroeker Farms incorporated with all nine children as shareholders.
Kroeker Farms continues to be a family-owned company.
“It’s very unique,” notes Klassen. “It’s a great opportunity to have a lot of entrepreneurs working together in one company like this.”
You can also see the returns of their work on local store shelves, with their field to fork mindset.
“Field to fork means we manage the seed we grow with,” explains Klassen. “It arrives at our seed farms, is multiplied there and moves onto the next seed farm where it’s multiplied again. Then I receive it on the table potato side where we grow and multiply it, then it goes for resale. Before a potato even gets into our storage, we’ve handled that crop for five years – so we know any issues with that crop, we know where it's been, what's been applied to it.”
“We get to provide that product directly to customers in Walmart or in Superstore – those potatoes are coming directly from our wash plant onto that store shelf. We can be confident in the product people buy in the stores, knowing that if they have any issue, we can give them all the data on that potato – where it’s been and how it got there. There’s no part of that process we didn’t have a hand in. That traceability allows us to ensure quality and consistency.”
Today, Kroeker Farms is the largest organic potato grower in Manitoba and one of the largest in North America.
“There's a lot of challenges in organic production and we have some great inventors who are keen on finding innovative ways to deal with these issues. It's an area of growth we focus on, not only because it's a challenge, but because it’s something we really believe in.”
Their vision is Healthy Food, Healthy World. This principle drives all operations at Kroeker Farms.
“Even on our conventional side, if we can produce healthy food for people, it's going to contribute to the health of our world. Our goal is always to leave our resources in a better state than where we found them.”
Now, by adding small pack capability, Kroeker Farms has continued making things better, by skipping the shipping and shaving a week off the whole process.
“We get a much fresher product on store shelves and can ensure nothing went wrong with that potato. It’s a healthy potato.”
Recently, the packing facility in Winkler has undergone a major expansion. This has improved shipping speed and helps ensure product freshness. Klassen says that’s where most of their employee growth has been lately.
And right now, Kroeker Farms is hiring.
“My goal is to find people who are the best at what they do, bring them onto the team, and by filling that area of need, they become part of the best farming team.”
“I'd welcome anybody interested in variety to join the team.”
In looking back over the past 16 years, Klassen reflects that it’s been a great ride, and he’s enjoyed having the chance to learn so many different aspects of farming and agriculture.
“It’s been exciting! I've really enjoyed my career at Kroeker Farms so far. It's been a great experience.” To learn more or to apply, visit https://www.kroekerfarms.com/careers
You can listen to more of our conversation with Richard Klassen, below.
