Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens

Name

Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens

Legal name

Les Amis des Jardins de Métis

Website

https://jardinsdemetis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Gardens / Cultural Tourism

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG)

Keywords

• Historic botanical gardens
• Contemporary garden festival
• Horticultural tourism
• Botanical plant collections
• Garden event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand-Métis

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: Daily admission fees ranging from $5 to $26.09 per person, with free entry for children 5 and under.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership programs offering unlimited access: Solo ($75), Family ($105), and Under 35 ($50).
3. Dining Services: On-site restaurants including Villa Estevan Lodge (4-course tasting menu) and Café-Bistrot Le Bufton, plus special culinary events requiring garden admission.
4. Retail Products: Online and on-site shop selling specialty gourmet products featuring garden flavors (jams, spreads, pickles), seeds, plants including blue poppy seeds and live plants, garden merchandise, and publications.
5. Event Hosting: Private events, weddings, corporate events, and special celebrations hosted at the gardens including the Great Hall and Estevan Lodge.
6. Donations and Fundraising: Donations supported through the organization's charitable status, with specific campaigns for projects like the Sea Lyme Grass Nursery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Les Jardins de Métis operates a National Historic Site of Canada featuring 18 hectares of historic gardens with over 3,000 plant species across 30+ themed gardens, opened to the public in 1962. The destination combines horticultural tourism with the Festival International de Jardins (since 2000), the largest contemporary garden festival in North America presenting 25-30 ephemeral installations annually, complemented by on-site dining venues, a retail boutique, event hosting, and a Sea Lyme Grass coastal restoration nursery.

Product overview

Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens operates as a multi-faceted horticultural destination combining a historic botanical garden with an annual contemporary garden festival. The core offering includes the 18-hectare historic gardens (1926-1958) featuring over 3,000 plant species across 30 named gardens, complemented by the Festival International de Jardins (since 2000) which presents 25-30 new contemporary installations annually. Supporting offerings include dining at Villa Estevan Lodge and Café-Bistrot Le Bufton, an online boutique selling specialty products and seeds, a Sea Lyme Grass Nursery for coastal restoration, and various exhibitions (temporary, Museum of Tools, and online). The organization is administered by Les Amis des Jardins de Métis, a non-profit charitable corporation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Festival international de jardins: The largest contemporary garden festival in North America, featuring approximately 30 temporary garden installations created by landscape architects and designers from around the world.
• Sea Lyme Grass Nursery
• Villa Estevan Lodge
• Le Bufton Café-Bistrot

Products and services

• Reford Gardens (Historic Gardens Admission)
• Festival International de Jardins
• Villa Estevan Lodge Restaurant
• Café-Bistrot Le Bufton
• Sea Lyme Grass Nursery (Pépinière d'élyme des Sables)
• La Boutique des Jardins (Online and On-site Store)
• Annual Membership Program
• Private Event and Wedding Venue Hosting
• Guided Tours and Group Packages

Quantifiable outcome

• 5+ million total visitors since opening to public
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• VIA RailminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Part of the VIA Rail Garden Route program, one of 18 featured gardens on Canada's national garden tourism route. Helps attract train travelers to the gardens and promotes garden tourism nationally.
• Hydro-QuébeccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Major partner since 1999, presenting the 'Le bon arbre au bon endroit' (Right Tree in the Right Place) garden at the International Garden Festival. Partnership includes energy efficiency initiatives and educational programs about sustainable tree selection.
• DesjardinsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner with naming rights to the Aire Desjardins in the Great Hall. Support for cultural events and community programming.
• Université de MontréalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual summer workshops for students from the École d'urbanisme et d'architecture de paysage, providing educational opportunities and garden maintenance support.
• CCxA (Claude Cormier + Associates)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture firm whose iconic 'Blue Sticks Garden' (Jardin de bâtons bleus) from the 2000 festival has been transformed into a permanent installation 'Forêt de bâtons bleus'.
• Festival de cinéma de la Ville de QuébecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Forest of Blue Sticks restoration project under the Arbreevolution social reforestation program.
• Tourisme GaspésieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional tourism organization promoting the gardens as a key attraction in the Gaspé Peninsula tourism circuit.
• Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with nearby Parc de la rivière Mitis for regional nature experiences and visitor activities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Montreal Botanical Garden: Quebec's flagship public botanical garden, operated as a museum institution with extensive themed gardens, conservatories, and educational programming—directly comparable in mission, scope, and visitor model to Reford Gardens.
• Butchart Gardens: Iconic Canadian historic garden destination with paid admission, seasonal operations, dining, and special events—closely mirrors Reford's visitor attraction and retail model.
• Longwood Gardens: Major US public garden with conservatories, themed outdoor gardens, ticketed admission, memberships, dining, and event hosting—highly comparable operating model and revenue mix.
• Assiniboine Park Conservancy: Canadian non-profit operating a major park with gardens, zoo, and attractions under a conservancy model—comparable in non-profit governance, multi-revenue structure, and public garden experience.
• Royal Botanical Gardens (Ontario): Canadian botanical garden with extensive plant collections, education programs, and ticketed experiences—similar scope and operations to Reford Gardens.

Broad incumbents

• New York Botanical Garden: Large-scale US botanical garden with 250+ acres, research programs, and exhibitions—broader scope but overlapping in horticultural tourism, education, and membership revenue.
• Canadian Museum of Nature: National museum institution with gardens, exhibitions, and educational programming—comparable in accredited museum status, government funding mix, and visitor programming model.
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Urban botanical garden with ticketed admission, themed collections, and seasonal events—comparable in public garden experience programming, though larger scale and city-based.

Regional players

• Muttart Conservatory: Canadian public garden with paid admission, themed biomes, and seasonal events—comparable in civic botanical garden experience, though operates in a different Canadian market.
• Domaine Joly-De Lotbinière: Quebec historic garden estate open to the public—comparable regional Canadian historic garden tourism destination with similar scale and seasonality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChsN0QnbO5DvgrYHyVDDM5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/JardinsdeMetis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-jardins-de-m%C3%A9tis-reford-gardens
• Instagraminstagram.com/jardinsdemetis

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens