Lester's Farm Market Inc

Name

Lester's Farm Market Inc

Legal name

Lester's Farm Market Inc

Website

https://lestersfarmmarket.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farm Market & Agritourism

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113), Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Produce Markets & Greengrocers (CRAHAHAA), Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB), Berry Farming (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cranberries) (AFAGACAD), Greenhouse Fruit & Berry Production (Strawberries, Specialty Fruits) (AFAGAHAB), Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops) (CRAHAGAO)

Keywords

• Fresh farm produce
• Greenhouse garden center
• Strawberry u-pick
• Agritourism attractions
• Agricultural education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

St. John's

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Farm Market Retail Sales: Direct retail sales of fresh produce grown on-farm, sold directly to consumers at the farm market. Over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables sold. Also includes bakery items, locally made products, and flowers.
2. Garden Center: Sales of annuals, perennials, vegetable transplants, herb plants, trees, shrubs, houseplants, and custom flower arrangements. Grown in 23 greenhouses across two locations.
3. Ice Cream: Ice cream counter sales from May through October.
4. U-Pick Operations: Strawberry U-pick began in 2002, now the largest in the metro area. Customers prepay for containers and pick berries in designated fields.
5. Agritourism - Field of Fun: Paid admission area with corn maze, wagon rides, games, straw jump, petting barn, and other attractions. Family pricing available. Open daily weather permitting.
6. Pumpkinfest: Annual October event with activities including corn maze, wagon rides, giant slide, and games. Raised over $300,000 for local charities since 2001.
7. Lil' Lester's Educational Program: Agricultural education program for children ages 6 months to 13 years, running spring and summer months. Programs include Parent & Tot, Littlest Lester's, Lil' Lester's, Junior Lester's, and Senior Lester's.
8. Gardening Classes: Vegetable gardening classes offered periodically, such as the 2025 Veggie Gardening Session.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Lester's Farm Market Inc grows and sells over 100 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables on a 120-acre farm in St. John's, Newfoundland, operating two retail locations (Brookfield Road and Heavy Tree Road) supplemented by 23 greenhouses. Around this agricultural core, the company runs an on-site bakery, an ice cream counter, a strawberry U-pick, a petting barn, a paid Field of Fun attraction area, seasonal events including Pumpkinfest, and the Lil' Lester's agricultural education program for children ages 6 months to 13 years.

Product overview

Lester's Farm Market is a family-owned and operated farm business in St. John's, Newfoundland, established in 1994. The operation functions as a diversified farm market offering fresh produce (100+ varieties of fruits and vegetables grown on 120 acres), a garden center with 23 greenhouses at two locations, an on-site bakery, ice cream counter, strawberry u-pick, petting barn, and paid Field of Fun attractions. The company also runs seasonal events including Pumpkinfest, Harvest Feast, Strawberry Festival, Craft Fair, and Christmas on the Farm, plus the Lil' Lester's children's farming education program. The product portfolio centers on the farm market as the core offering, with garden center and attractions serving as major add-on modules that extend visitor engagement throughout the season.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lil' Lester's: A children's farming education program created in 2011, teaching kids ages 6 months to 13 years basic farming skills through hands-on activities including planting, growing, and harvesting.

Products and services

• Farm Market Fresh Produce Direct-to-consumer farm market offering over 100 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables grown on the farm and harvested daily, sold at the Brookfield Road market location with produce traveling less than four kilometers from fields to shelves.
• Garden Center Garden center operating from 23 greenhouses across two St. John's locations (Brookfield Road and Heavy Tree Road), selling over 400 varieties and colors of annuals, perennials, vegetable transplants, herb plants, trees, shrubs, and houseplants suited to the Newfoundland climate.
• On-site Bakery On-site bakery opened in 2011 providing freshly baked bread, pastries, cookies, and pies using farm-fresh ingredients, operating from the main Brookfield Road farm market.
• Ice Cream Counter Seasonal ice cream service window operating May through October at the farm market, offering frozen treats to farm visitors alongside the fresh produce, bakery items, and on-site food options.
• Strawberry U-Pick U-pick strawberry operation launched in 2002 and now the largest in the metro area, where customers prepay for containers and pick their own strawberries in designated fields during the short July season.
• Petting Barn Interactive animal petting area featuring ponies, calves, goats, chickens, rabbits, and pigs, open May through November with free admission in early season and late season and bundled admission with Field of Fun mid-July through October.
• Field of Fun Paid attraction area featuring a corn maze, wagon rides, games, straw jump, petting barn, bee observatory, Pumpkin Jump Pad, and Gem Mining, with weekday admission at $8/person or $35/family of 5 and weekend admission at $10/person or $45/family of 5.
• Pumpkinfest Annual month-long October festival held since 2001 featuring a corn maze, wagon rides, giant slide, rubber duck races, contests, and charitable fundraising for the REAL Program and Mount Pearl Sport Alliance.
• Lil' Lester's Children's Education Program Agricultural education program created in 2011 offering age-banded cohorts (Parent & Tot, Littlest Lester's, Lil' Lester's, Junior Lester's, and Senior Lester's) for children ages 6 months to 13 years, teaching farming basics through hands-on planting, growing, and harvesting activities.
• Seasonal Farm Events Seasonal event programming including the Harvest Feast fine dining experience with local Newfoundland chefs, Strawberry Festival, Country Craft Fair with 40+ local vendors, Corn Boil, Farm Haunt haunted attraction, and Christmas on the Farm featuring Nova Scotia Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces, vegetables, and holiday rolls.
• Vegetable Gardening Classes Periodic gardening instruction classes, such as the Veggie Gardening Session, focused on teaching home gardeners how to grow vegetables in Newfoundland's climate.
• Custom Flower Arrangements Custom bouquet creation service where customers bring their own pots for personalized floral arrangements from the greenhouse stock, offered on a first-come, first-served basis with orders beginning mid-May.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produce travels less than 4 kilometers from fields to shelves
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chinched DeliminorOthersOn-site food vendor located at the main Brookfield Road market location, providing additional food options for visitors alongside the farm's produce and bakery.
• REAL ProgramcoreOthersCharitable beneficiary of Pumpkinfest. Since 2001, Lester's Farm Market has donated over $300,000 to this program and helped over 1,000 families.
• Mount Pearl Sport AlliancecoreOthersCharitable beneficiary of Pumpkinfest. Received over $24,000 in donations in 2024 alone. Special fundraising day held October 18th annually.
• Country Craft Fair VendorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 40 local vendors participate in the annual Country Craft Fair held in the greenhouses. Provides platform for local crafts and goods sales.
• Lester's Dairy FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeparate but related family operation managed by Colin and Trish Lester (John's brother and Mary's sister) with their children Craig and Nancy. Operates dairy farm with 270 Holstein cows and robotic milkers, plus 300 heifers and calves. Both operations share the farming heritage on Brookfield Road.
• Newfoundland Chefs (Harvest Feast)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chefs collaborate with the farm for the annual Harvest Feast event, creating dishes using Lester's Farm produce for a family-style meal celebrating the harvest.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Smolak Farms: North Andover, Massachusetts farm combining pick-your-own fruit, farm stand, bakery, ice cream, and seasonal festival attractions — strong structural analogue to Lester's produce + experiences mix.
• Forsythe Family Farms: Ontario family farm offering fresh produce, U-pick, animal barn, seasonal events, and educational programs for children — closely aligned with Lester's Lil' Lester's-style programming.
• Whittamore's Farm: Markham, Ontario farm market offering fresh produce, bakery, garden center, U-pick, and a robust seasonal attraction including corn maze, wagon rides, and play areas — closely mirroring Lester's multi-revenue, family-experience model.
• Pingle's Farm Market: Hampton, Ontario farm market with bakery, garden centre, U-pick, and a large fall festival including corn maze and play areas — a near-analogous multi-line farm market and agritourism operation.
• Taves Family Farms: British Columbia family farm offering U-pick apples and berries, farm store, pumpkin patch, and corn maze — directly comparable multi-season farm market and agritourism operation.
• Downey's Farm Market: Caledon, Ontario farm market combining on-site bakery, U-pick fruit, and a large seasonal 'Farmland Fun' attraction with corn maze and play structures — directly comparable in the farm market + agritourism combination.
• Springridge Farm: Milton, Ontario family farm running a farm market, bakery, garden centre, and seasonal harvest festival activities — highly comparable diversified farm retail and experience model.

Broad incumbents

• Apple Holler: Wisconsin family farm offering U-pick orchards, farm market dining, bakery, and year-round family attractions — comparable in combining fresh produce retail with year-round farm-based experiences.
• Huber's Orchard & Winery: Indiana family-owned orchard and farm market with U-pick, farm store, bakery, and seasonal festivals — broader scope than Lester's but a comparable multi-generational farm retail and experience business.

Emerging players

• Clovermead Adventures in Maze: Alberta-based agritourism operation focused on bee-themed mazes and family farm experiences — comparable in seasonal attraction model though narrower in fresh-produce and garden centre lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/lfm_susan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLoc6Pe6t6S0JxsBRd7W0eA
• Facebookfacebook.com/lestersfarmmarket
• Instagraminstagram.com/lestersfarmmarket

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Lester's Farm Market Inc