Around 70 awards were handed out during the 18th annual Greenhouse Competition in Leamington.
Hundreds of different fruits and vegetables were judged last week by a professional chef and random taste testers.
Taking home the awards was Mastronardi Produce out of Kingsville. The greenhouse won 23 awards, 14 of them being first place. Its awards include best orange bell pepper, best strawberry, and four of the best types of tomatoes.
“Our passion for flavor, freshness, and quality is at the heart of everything we do, and receiving these awards is a true testament to the hard work of our team," said Paul Mastronardi, President & CEO of Mastronardi Produce.
Leamington's Nature Fresh Farm took home 16 awards, the second most at the competition. Six of the awards were first-place, which included best cocktail cucumber and hot pepper.
Mucci Farms in Kingsville won 11 awards, followed by Leamington's Pure Flavor with nine, and Kingsville's Del Fresco Pure with five. Splitting the last five awards were Topline Farms and Red Sun Farms.
"We just love that we can celebrate the Greenhouse Industry in Essex County with this annual event that helps in so many ways," said Art Barron, President of R.E.A.CH. International, which hosted the competition.
The organization plans on donating all funds raised during the competition to sponsor over 45 children in Uganda, Africa. The money will be used on food, school supplies, medicine, and everything else they need to get an education.