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Innovative urban agriculture

TOPSOIL converts underutilized urban spaces
into productive food growing areas.
We supply fresh premium produce direct to
restaurants and the local community in Victoria B.C.

Join our 2023 CSA
veggie box program!

20 weeks of freshly harvested and locally curated delicious seasonal produce.

Limited time to purchase: Feb 15 – April 15.

show me how it works

Local. Fresh. Better.

Imagine if you had the choice …

To eat produce grown in another country, trucked in from miles away and already days old when it gets to your plate, or

To eat produce picked fresh & ripe this morning just a few blocks away.

Which would you rather eat? It’s a no-brainer, right?

However, a large majority of produce consumed in Victoria travels great distances, taking days – and sometimes weeks – to reach our plate. By then it’s lost most of its taste, aroma, texture and nutrients.

There is a better way – grow food where people live.

TOPSOIL grows food in unused urban spaces right here in Victoria. We supply high quality fresh produce to restaurants who want to wow their customers with incredible locally-grown flavour.

Fresh, tasty and delivered minutes after being picked. That’s hard to beat.

TOPSOIL at Dockside Green

On-Site Market

Come on down to get super fresh veggies and support local growers.
Social distancing-friendly shopping and contactless payment.
Market Info

“You can’t beat food this fresh. I’m constantly blown away by the flavour and quality of the produce TOPSOIL delivers.

I’ve put huge effort into creating our menu items and it’s so satisfying to use quality ingredients to bring them to life – and the customers keep coming back for more. It’s a win-win all round.”

James Avila – Head Chef,  Fiamo Italian Kitchen

How it works

01

Transform underutilized urban spaces

We occupy urban spaces that would otherwise go unused – like rooftops, or vacant blocks awaiting development – transforming them into productive and profitable agricultural spaces, to create a sustainable, hyper-local food economy.

02

Grow premium fruits & vegetables

Using innovative, light-footprint gardening technology like geotextile planter containers we can grow a variety of fruit, veggies, salad greens and herbs right in the heart of the city.

03

Supply community with fresh produce

We sell food bursting with flavour and aroma to the local community and restaurants. Our fresh produce is delivered straight to our restaurant partners or sold at our on-site public market.

High tech, low impact gardens

TOPSOIL runs commercial urban GrowSpaces in Victoria supplying produce directly to local restaurants and the surrounding community.

We use award-winning geotextile containers. They’re easy to set up and move, and keep the soil contained and tidy. Automated watering systems keep plants hydrated with minimal water use.

Our garden systems are lightweight and inner-city friendly – ideal to set up on just about any surface including balconies, patios, vacant lots and undeveloped land.

Because there’s no fixed structures or loose soil everywhere, our gardens can be easily arranged to suit the requirements of each space, and are completely removable when required.

“TOPSOIL produce is fantastic!

I was amazed at how easy they made it for us to get their product. The deliveries are consistent, efficient, and they are so friendly!”

JP Green – Executive Chef,  Truffles Catering

Outstanding flavour

Restaurants and community members can wow diners and friends with dishes featuring the unparalleled flavour, texture and aromas of super-fresh, locally-grown produce.

Healthy food

TOPSOIL uses ZERO chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, ensuring the highest quality produce.

Greener cities

Our food gardens are aestheically attractive and contribute to positive urban renewal – less bare concrete, more leafy greenery.

Reusable packaging

The food-safe containers we use for restaurant deliveries are collected, washed and reused weekly.

Cleaner air

We use an electric vehicle for most of our deliveries.

Honest transparency

You deserve to know exactly what you’re eating and where it came from. Our “in-sight in-mind” approach embraces open transparency about how we grow our food.

Follow TOPSOIL on social media for updates

FAQs

What is TOPSOIL?

TOPSOIL is an urban agriculture business that utilizes unused space by implementing productive farms. The produce we grow is sold directly to the surrounding restaurants and local community. Our long-term vision is to implement our proven TOPSOIL farm system in other communities.

How did this all start?

TOPSOIL was conceived due to the understanding of the negative consequences of our current industrialized food system. Our pilot project was a 400 sq ft garden on a rooftop back in 2015. Now we are in our 6th season, and operating a 20,000 sq ft urban farm in Victoria.

Is TOPSOIL a not-for-profit, a co-op or a business?

We are an incorporated business, embracing a philosophy of ‘people, planet and profit’. We believe good business aspirations can be in support of healthy community-driven choices.

Where can I find TOPSOIL produce?

TOPSOIL operates a business-to-business model, supplying premium produce directly to kitchens of select Victoria restaurants.

The public can also visit our GrowSpace to buy fresh produce from our On-Site Market.

What restaurants are you partnered with?

We partner with many different restaurants. Our restaurant partners include: The fernwoods Inn, Caffe Fantastico (all 3 locations) , Truffles Catering, Swans and many more.

What community partnerships are you involved in?

We are partnered with:

  1. LifeCycles which implements topsoil micro-farms on school grounds to provide fresh food and education to the school community,
  2. Songhees Wellness Centre and their rooftop garden,
  3. Food Eco District (FED) to provide gardening kits to people who have been impacted by COVID-19, and
  4. The South Island Farm Hub.

Can I visit TOPSOIL at Dockside Green?

Chefs/restaurants and building owners interested in becoming TOPSOIL Partners, or members of the media can contact us to arrange a visit to TOPSOIL at Dockside Green to see our operation in action.

The public can visit our On-Site Market to see our GrowSpace at Dockside Green take home fresh-picked produce.

We periodically run tours for the general public and other special events – the best way to stay in the loop with what’s happening is to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

How do you determine your prices?

Our prices are generally based on the Vancouver Island local organic market prices. We do not compare our prices to the heavily subsidized prices you find at Save-On or Walmart, as we are not supported by (and do not support) the large industial-agricultural business model. Our produce is hyper-local and grown by hand, with care and a local community focus.

Why do you grow food in above-ground containers?

We grow in above-ground containers because we focus on growing food on non-arable land in urban spaces. Our mission is to create a food production system that can be placed onto any surface and replicated in any community, close to where the people who will be eating the food live.

What are the containers made of?

The containers are made of inert, porous, geo-textile fabric which is BPA (bisphenol A) and lead free. The fabric is durable and long lasting.

What are the benefits of growing food in fabric containers?

The fabric containers are porous so they allow water to drain easily, release heat and allow oxygen to penetrate the soil from all sides. The geotextile fabric also ‘air prunes’ the roots systems which occurs when a root comes in contact with the air on the side of the container. The root tip stops growing and instead begins growing smaller side-roots, which take in more moisture and nutrients. Finally, the fabric containers allow us to easily fit our entire 20,000 sq ft farm into a 20 ft shipping container, which we can replicate and send to other communities who want to set up the same system.

Why do you only grow a small variety of crops and not other crops?

We focus on quick growing, cut-and-come-again crops. Growing a small variety of crops allows us to focus on quality, quantity and consistency for our customers.

Are you certified organic?

We are not certified organic but we do embrace and practice organic principles. Bringing food production into cities allows everyone to come down and certify our practices for themselves.

Are you concerned about toxins in the air getting into the soil?

Due to our observations on our soil health and plant growth we are not concerned with toxins in the air at this point. We should be more concerned with breathing toxins present in our urban air.

Get in touch

Phone 250-634-3992

chris@topsoileatlocal.com

TOPSOIL operates in beautiful Victoria, Canada.
For questions or media enquiries, please drop us a line.

#topsoileatlocal