What Berger does

Berger (Les Tourbières Berger Ltée) is a family-owned Canadian producer of horticultural growing media, founded in 1963 and headquartered in Saint-Modeste, Quebec. The company manufactures proprietary substrate blends combining Canadian sphagnum peat moss with its NF Wood (Natural Fiber Wood) fiber technology, perlite, vermiculite, and bark components, organized into the BM Series (standard propagation, greenhouse, nursery, and water-saving mixes), the OM Series (organic-certified variants), and HP/Super HP high-porosity performance grades. Vertically integrated operations span nine manufacturing plants and thirteen harvesting areas across Canada and the United States, supported by four in-house laboratories running 280,000 quality tests annually and a patented Skyscraper large-format compressed bale packaging format.

The company sells primarily through a 35-representative direct field sales force with regional sales directors covering the US, Canada, and Latin America, supplemented by exclusive distributors in South Korea (KGH Environment) and Japan (Iwatani International). Five technical grower advisors provide on-site agronomic consultation, greenhouse trials, and custom formulation development, functioning as a professional-services layer wrapped around the core substrate transaction. Customers are professional horticultural producers across controlled environment agriculture, propagation, floriculture, nursery, vegetable transplant, organic, and cannabis segments, with named accounts ranging from large multi-acre greenhouse operators to mid-market perennial plug producers.

Revenue is generated transactionally through quote-based per-order pricing with no subscription component; pricing varies by formulation, packaging format (loose, compressed, big bag, Skyscraper), volume, and delivery terms, and is not publicly disclosed. Supporting programs include greenhouse trials, food safety testing for CEA applications, and a customer benefits program that reinforce account stickiness beyond the underlying substrate sale.

Name

Berger

Legal name

Les Tourbières Berger Ltée

Website

https://berger.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Berger is a family-owned Canadian producer of proprietary horticultural growing media, serving professional greenhouse, nursery, propagation, CEA, and organic growers across North America with direct field sales and export distribution to Latin America and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticultural Growing Media (Substrates)

akta.pro primary industry

Substrates & Growing Media (Coco, Rockwool, Peat Alternatives) (AFAAAHAF)

Keywords

• Horticultural growing media
• Peat moss substrates
• Greenhouse growing mixes
• Plant propagation media
• Organic growing substrates

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Modeste

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Horticultural Growing Media Sales: Berger generates revenue through the sale of proprietary growing media products including peat moss, wood fiber mixes, bark-based substrates, and specialized propagation mixes. Products are sold directly through sales representatives and through distributor networks in international markets. Revenue is transactional per order with no subscription component.
2. Technical Services: Berger provides technical support and grower advisory services as part of customer engagement, including greenhouse trials, custom formulation development, and ongoing agronomic consultation to support product usage.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Berger manufactures and sells proprietary horticultural growing media substrates combining Canadian sphagnum peat moss with proprietary NF Wood fiber, perlite, vermiculite, and bark. The portfolio includes propagation mixes (BM2), container crop mixes (BM4, BM5), all-purpose peat-perlite mixes (BM6), bark-based substrates (BM7), water-saving mixes (BM8), and organic-certified alternatives (OM2, OM6), supplied in loose, compressed bale, big bag, and patented Skyscraper packaging formats to professional growers.

Product overview

Berger is a horticultural growing media company offering a comprehensive portfolio of substrate products organized into multiple product series. The BM Series (BM2, BM4, BM5, BM6, BM7, BM8) provides various growing mixes with different characteristics including natural wood fiber blends (BM4, BM5), all-purpose peat-perlite mixes (BM6), bark-based substrates (BM7), and water-saving formulations (BM8). The OM Series (OM2, OM6) offers organic-certified alternatives for producers. Each series includes variants (standard, HP/High Performance, Super HP) and specialized formulations for specific applications like automation, propagation, and seed germination. Products are available in multiple packaging formats including loose, compressed bales, big bags, and the proprietary Skyscraper format. Berger positions itself as a complete growing solutions provider with associated technical services, laboratory testing, grower advisors, and customer benefits programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BM Series: Berger Mixes product line for propagation, greenhouse and nursery production including wood fiber and aggregate mixes
• OM Series
• NF Wood

Products and services

• BM2 Seed Germination – Wood A fine-grade substrate combining Canadian sphagnum peat moss and NF Wood that maintains uniform moisture levels around seeds or cuttings to stimulate root initiation, designed for young plant production and hydroponic float systems.
• BM2 Propagation – Wood HP A mix ideal for vegetable transplant productions providing good drainage and wickability to produce sturdier, more compact shoots with a highly porous structure promoting fast root development.
• BM2 Automation – Wood HP An innovative propagation mix specifically designed for automated growing systems, featuring premium Canadian sphagnum peat moss and custom-designed wood fiber that ensures smooth, uninterrupted flow through automated equipment.
• BM2 Propagation HP Made with coarse perlite that increases aeration and drainage, Berger's most porous propagation mix designed to quickly evacuate excess water, with low adhesion content ideal for paper pot systems.
• BM4 Natural Fiber – Wood A blend of Canadian sphagnum peat moss and eco-friendly NF Wood creating a unique connective network offering high water retention and ample air space for very rapid root development, suitable for greenhouse container crops.
• BM4 Natural Fiber – Wood HP A perlite-free alternative blend of Canadian sphagnum peat moss and NF Wood designed for increased porosity and easy access to available water, suitable for most crops especially large containers and long-term crops.
• BM5 Natural Fiber & Aggregate – Wood Combines Canadian sphagnum peat moss, NF Wood and perlite offering good balance between drainage and water retention with all benefits of wood fiber and security of perlite, designed for rapid root development.
• BM5 Natural Fiber & Aggregate – Wood HP For crops requiring a more porous substrate, this combination of Canadian sphagnum peat moss, NF Wood and perlite provides excellent drainage that reduces water stress and promotes rapid root development.
• BM5 Natural Fiber & Aggregate – Wood Super HP Features increased percentages of NF Wood and perlite creating an extremely porous structure providing ample drainage and air space, ideal for low-light winter conditions and humid environments.
• BM6 All-Purpose The classic peat-and-perlite growing medium made exclusively with superior ingredients and stringent quality-control specifications, Berger's most versatile product for general-purpose container and transplant mixing.
• BM6 All-Purpose HP With higher perlite content, this version of BM6 provides additional drainage and aeration, designed to reduce plant stress due to excess water and applicable over wide variety of crops and irrigation systems.
• BM8 Water Saving With premium composted sphagnum peat moss, this mix is specially designed to extend periods between irrigation with extra water reserve ideal for maintaining humidity in hanging baskets and large containers.
• BM7 Bark A general-purpose bark mix providing more weight and balanced air-water ratio, designed for greenhouse and outdoor production in southern and midwest US, allowing excess water to drain quickly.
• BM7 Coarse Bark A mix of Canadian sphagnum peat moss, coarse bark and perlite creating ideal aeration and porosity while providing additional weight for soil anchoring, with stable structure for long-term drainage.
• BM7 Bark HP A heavy mix with high bark content offering optimal porosity, designed for indoor and outdoor production in medium to large containers with quick water runoff.
• OM6 All-Purpose (Organic) The classic peat-and-perlite growing medium authorized for organic production, OMRI listed and made exclusively with superior ingredients, providing easy inventory management with versatile and adaptable mix.
• OM2 Seed Germination (Organic) A high-quality general-purpose seed germination mix approved for organic production offering unmatched uniformity during germination and seedling production, designed for continuous flow in tray filling systems.
• Skyscraper Packaging Format Berger's patented large-format compressed bale packaging introduced in 1993, reducing packaging waste by nearly 80%, saving 2.5 hours of manual labor per unit, allowing outdoor storage regardless of weather conditions, and enabling unloading in 30-45 minutes with a forklift.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 1 week faster production cycle for certain varieties through faster rooting with NF Wood products
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sun Gro Horticulture: North America's largest peat-based growing media producer (Pro-Mix, Sunshine brands). Directly competes with Berger in professional peat substrates, wood-fiber blends, and perlite mixes for greenhouse, nursery, and CEA customers.
• Lambert Peat Moss: Canadian peat harvesting and substrate producer selling peat moss and professional growing mixes across North America. Directly comparable on peat sourcing, mix formulation, and greenhouse/nursery customer base.
• Premier Tech: Quebec-based competitor with a major Horticulture division producing peat- and bark-based growing media (PRO-MIX equivalents) under the Premier Tech brand. Closest geographic and product competitor to Berger in North America.
• Jiffy Group: Produces peat pellets, propagation substrates, and growing media for greenhouse and nursery growers. Competes with Berger's BM2 propagation and germination mixes, especially in plug and transplant production.

Regional players

• Hawita Gruppe: German peat and substrate producer serving primarily European growers. Comparable in product technology (peat mixes, wood fiber additions) but operates in a different geography than Berger's North American core.

Emerging players

• FoxFarm Soil & Fertilizer Company: Specialty growing media and soil mix brand primarily in retail/CEA channels. Partial overlap with Berger's product portfolio in peat-and-perlite mixes, focused on cannabis and specialty crops where Berger also serves customers.
• CannaContinental / Coco substrate specialists: Emerging peat-alternative substrate producers leveraging coco coir and engineered wood fibers. Direct threat to Berger's peat-heavy portfolio as growers seek peat-free options under tightening ESG and regulatory pressure.

Broad incumbents

• Klasmann-Deilmann: European leader in peat-based substrates with growing North American presence. Competes head-to-head with Berger in professional greenhouse substrates and is also investing heavily in wood-fiber and peat-alternative substrates, mirroring Berger's NF Wood strategy.
• Pindstrup: Danish peat and substrate producer with global distribution. Overlaps with Berger in peat-based professional growing media and is pursuing peat-light formulations relevant to Berger's NF Wood roadmap.

Others

• Royal Brinkman: Global horticulture supplier offering substrates, fertilizers, and crop protection to professional growers. Adjacent competitor and channel partner that touches Berger's customer base across greenhouse and CEA segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/berger.ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berger-peat-moss-ltd-

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berger