Van
Belle History
"Always do your best." These words echo in our minds as we work, play and live life. At Van Belle Nursery, we do our best to send you the best plants available. This is achieved with continually updated processes and people who strive to do their best.
It all started in 1973 with 10 acres of bare fields and a dream. Bill and Grace Van Belle founded the nursery with the idea of growing for the Ontario market, and since then the philosophy of always doing our best has allowed us to grow to serve customers across all of North America.
1970s
1973 saw the first wooden greenhouse and a couple of growing beds. Those first few years were tough, and Bill did landscaping to earn extra income. The books were all done by hand, and production planning only took a few hours of time.
The nursery grew 4" container liners, as well as 1, 2, 3, and 5 gallon plants. The product mix was evergreens, with some deciduous flowering shrubs. Four acres of field stock was also lined out. Slowly the nursery grew in scope, and the product mix evolved more and more into containers. The last landscape job was done in 1978 - Bill and Grace were able to devote all their time to the nursery, and to their own growing family.
1980s
An additional 10 acres was purchased adjacent to the nursery, and the move towards complete container crops began. In 1983, the last field grown plant was sold, marking the beginning of a new business direction for the Van Belles.
The first computer was purchased in 1987 to help with order entry and accounting.
1990s
A loading dock was built in 1990, and the trucks were no longer loaded by hand. Administration was officially moved out of the house in 1992, when part of the barn was converted to office space. In 1994, Van Belle Nursery acquired another nursery site two miles away. This is now referred to as our Clayburn site, and is where we grow all the liners as well as tender hydrangeas, vines and broadleaves. 1995 was another milestone year - the nursery saw over 1 million young plants produced, and the integration of high-tech solutions continued with the installation of a flat-roof Cravo greenhouse at the Clayburn site.
Present
The year 2000 saw over 2 million young plants produced - a 100% increase in five short years. In 2002, the management team made the decision to invest in aluminum rolling benches from Holland to help increase liner production, and have been so pleased with the results that we have installed rail lines throughout our Clayburn location. The system has endless possibilities for expansion - we have already added a pruner and herbicide dispenser and have plans to add motorized transport lines. The concept of bringing the work to the people has worked very well for us.
Today, Van Belle Nursery owns 60 acres, with another 20 acres recently purchased nearby. We propagate nearly all the plants we sell, and the nursery is continually bringing in new plants, including the exciting Proven Winners® ColorChoice® line of hardy shrubs. Over 85% of our plants find their way to customers east of the Rockies.
Bill Van Belle recently retired from his sales position, but is still President of the company and remains very active in long-term planning. Grace continues to run the office with efficiency. Their son Dave took on the role of General Manager in 2004, and we have already seen the energy and vision Dave brings effect real change in our company. We are blessed to be surrounded by family members and committed employees who are instrumental to Van Belle Nursery's success.
We are grateful to all the people who have given us advice and encouragement along the way. The nursery industry is a great business to be involved in, and we look forward to serving you for many years to come.
Sincerely,
The Van Belles