Peter Dhillon, president and CEO of the Richmond-based Richberry Group of Companies, has been selected to join the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame as a 2018 inductee.
He and four other leaders in the agricultural industry across the country will be officially inducted into the national Hall of Fame at a ceremony in November in Toronto.
“This year’s inductees represent the diversity and drive that have helped to build Canada’s dynamic agri-food sector,” said Guy Charbonneau, president of Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association (CAHFA), in a press release.
“[They] exemplify the leadership and vision that continues to position Canadian agriculture at the forefront, in areas as diverse as policy, research, primary production, value added and management training.”
The five inductees were selected out of 11 nominees put forward this year, added Charbonneau.
In an introduction of inductees, Dhillon is described as a farmer, philanthropist and businessman who “is a driving force in Canada’s growing cranberry industry.”
"From his early years in the bog beside his parents, to the boardroom of Ocean Spray, Dhillon works to advance the agricultural industry including environmental stewardship," wrote in the introduction.
"[He] prides himself as a second generation farmer, and brings his strong sense of ethics and duty to enrich the agricultural industry in Canada."
Dhillon’s company, Richberry Group, is the largest cranberry grower in Canada with operations in B.C. and Quebec.
He oversees 238 acres of cranberry fields in east Richmond and a 352-acre farm south of the Pitt River in B.C.
Dhillon is also one of the largest shareholders of the 700 grower-owned Ocean Spray cooperative and the first non-American chair of the board.
