If it’s an average day, then it’s a busy one for John Bonner, owner of Great Lakes Growers in Burton Township.
If it’s an average day, then it’s a busy one for John Bonner, owner of Great Lakes Growers in Burton Township.
A combination of hard work and forward thinking has catapulted his hydroponic greenhouse’s products into high demand.
“Our goal is to provide the absolute freshest, best tasting, pesticide-free produce on the market,” Bonner said. “Our goal is to have our product in your fridge in less than 48 hours from harvest. Much of the produce consumers eat comes from so far away, it’s already weeks old when consumers get it. We are changing that paradigm. It is our commitment to our customers and it is what makes this business so fulfilling.”
Great Lakes Growers, 15145 Kinsman Road, is a 80,000-square-feet, state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse specializing in growing fresh herbs and leafy greens year round.
Hydroponic gardening is gardening without the use of soil and instead, nutrients are added to water, which the plant absorbs when getting watered.
Bonner believes healthy eating is key to living a happy life and takes pride in providing fresh and great-tasting produce to customers.
“We have been in business since 2012, when we started in a tiny 300-square-foot greenhouse, selling to one restaurant in Chagrin Falls,” Bonner said. “We now sell across the entire Midwest, to hundreds of grocery stores and restaurants and have shipped products internationally, and as far as South Dakota in the U.S.”
A native of Burton Township, Bonner lives there with wife, Kara, and daughters, Lola, 6, and Bell, 5.
The business owner’s roots in the industry run deep.
“My family has been in the greenhouse industry since my grandfather, John Gander, started Burton Flower and Garden 80 years ago,” Bonner said. “My father and mother, Dick and Ellen Bonner, started Dillen Products in Middlefield, which became one of the largest suppliers of injection molded flower pots in the country.”
Bonner’s sister, Jill, and her husband, Todd, own and operate Eagle Creek Growers in Mantua.
“It is a state-of-the-art, 7-acre flower greenhouse producer of ultra high quality bedding annuals and potted crops,” Bonner said. “We have a lot of deep connections in the industry and we are very fortunate for that.”
“Crain’s Cleveland Business” named Bonner and his sister in their 2009 “40 Under 40” class, and in 2008, “Greenhouse Grower” magazine named Bonner “one to watch” for his progressive approach to production and sustainable energy.
“Since the beginning, I have had an amazing partner, Tim Ryan from Bainbridge … another lifelong Geauga County guy,” Bonner said. “Without Tim’s involvement, Great Lakes Growers would not be today.”
Ryan and Bonner recently decided Bonner would become sole owner and take the business to the next level.
Another friend of Bonner’s, Blaze Tishko, owner of Vinny’s Italian Kitchen in Middlefield, uses high quality ingredients and incorporates as many local products as possible.
“One of the cornerstones of what we do is the use of Great Lakes Growers products,” Tishko said, who went to school with Bonner.
All of their salads use one or multiple types of Great Lakes Growers lettuce and all sauces use their fresh basil.
“We have been blessed with the ability to have our lettuce grown completely free of any chemicals about a half mile away from our restaurant,” Tishko said. “In my opinion, I do not think you can get a better lettuce. I have gone on diets for weeks eating GLG lettuce exclusively and have seen great results and after five years of using the product, never get tired of the flavor. Of course, it is not just for diets, but is a great way to try and eat healthy. Without the quality of their product, we would not be as good of a restaurant.”
Warren’s Spirited Kitchen on Burton Square also incorporates many local ingredients, including Great Lakes Growers produce.
“We love featuring high quality local ingredients and Great Lakes Growers is the top of the line when it comes to quality,” Warren’s Spirited Kitchen Owner Craig Bednarek said. “We are exclusive to their lettuce in all of our salads. John’s products are such an obvious choice for us. I love to sell the salads verbally because I get to talk about the lettuce and how it’s chemical free and grown hydroponically year round one mile down the road from us. How many restaurants get to say that about the dishes they are selling.”
Bill Prots, owner of Ramble Inn in Newbury Township, saidBonner’s dad and his dad had done business together since before they were born.
“John and his partner, Tim, would stop in at Ramble Inn when they were just getting the greenhouse started,” Prots said. “Nicole (my wife and partner) and I have always tried to source as locally as possible. We tried the lettuce and it’s great, so we added it to our menu. First and foremost, it tastes great. Because it’s ‘living’ when we buy and store it, it’s always fresh to our customers. Additionally, it’s GMO free and grown in clean water, not unsupervised fields by unsupervised workers.”
Prots added, “I believe it’s the way of the future. Great Lakes Growers has a 12-month growing season. I don’t think any other supplier in the county or Northeast Ohio can say that.”
Great Lakes Growers products are also sold at Heinen’s and Giant Eagle.
