Q&A with Pablo Costa

Pablo Costa is no stranger to farming. A native of Chile, Costa and his father started an orchard for sweet cherry production. When Costa was at university, he had the idea of wanting to start his own production with his father, so he bought the plants from a tissue culture lab, grew them for two years, grafted them and now, they are producing fruit for export.

NM: How did you get started in horticulture?

PC: That was a long time ago. With my family, you always relate to the land, to the farming and to the production. That’s why I decided to major in agronomics when I was back in Chile, and it’s a six-year career that’s mixed between plant science and engineering. My first job was working at some nurseries in the summer. Then I took over seed production for ornamental plants at a nursery in Chile. That was my introduction to the ornamental industry, seed production for different breeders like Syngenta or Ball, so I was reproducing these seeds for breeders all over the world. I was with that company for almost seven years.

After that, I worked for two years in fruit production. It was mainly an avocado farm, but it had citrus and plants as well. It was one of the biggest farms in Chile, but I wasn’t able to use my ornamental plant industry knowledge there. At that time, I was in contact with a grower from Van Belle. We would talk on the phone for several hours, and he said they might have a position for me in the future. So, after a while, he contacted me back and said they were developing a new facility for finished plants. Then they offered me the position to be the grower of this new facility. I accepted and moved from Chile to Canada with my family. My daughter was just turning one year old, and by coincidence my wife knew the area because she studied at a university there. She said, “Well, I definitely would move there with you because I love that area; it’s beautiful.” So, we decided to move, and I think it’s been eight years and counting.

NM: What is your favorite part of the job?

PC: I would say when I see the plants leaving the greenhouse with the good quality we were expecting. That’s a win. It starts with product development and trials with the growers who are growing these plants and selecting the best varieties. Then execution in terms of picking the plants at the right time, packing them and a professional tag attached to them. We’re putting them on pallets or boxes and shipping them to stores; that to me is satisfaction.

NM: What does being a part of the HRI Leadership Academy Class of 2025 mean to you?

PC: I feel really honored to be part of the team and to be selected from the institute. I’m aways looking for ways to continue to grow myself, professional development. I saw this as an opportunity to continue to improve my skills, specifically in leadership, and find different ways that could support common goals. It’s an opportunity to network and to share industry experiences and knowledge, so I can apply those to my actual situation and with the company and my team.

NM: What are some of your hobbies?

PC: I love the outdoors and spending time with my family, especially in the summer when we go to the lakes. I also enjoy playing and coaching rugby. I’ve coached the last four years, and my oldest son, who is 11 years old, has been playing since he was four years old.

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