Since it was founded in the mid-1950s, Bylands has been a family affair. John Byland’s parents, Adrian and Katie, met in the Okanagan after immigrating separately to Canada, got married, and bought the property which would eventually become Bylands Nurseries. Adrian and his ancestors had been farming in Holland since the 1700s.
After his father’s unexpected passing in 1982, John left university and joined his mother to run the business. Today, he oversees operations alongside his wife, Maria, and his children, Michael and Melanie.
“Both of our kids are in the business: our son is the Chief Operating Officer, and our daughter is in business development. My wife owns and operates Bylands Garden Centre, while the kids and I own and operate Bylands Nurseries Ltd.,” explains John of the family-run business.
When John took over, they were farming approximately 80 acres of land; today, that has grown to 450 acres. The company has transitioned from pure agronomy to a more sophisticated operation thanks to the tools and technology that allow them to make sure the crops are healthy and growing well. In the early ‘90s, Bylands was the first BC nursery to construct a water reclamation pond; with multiple ponds now, Bylands continues to reuse the water it consumes.
The number of plants they grow now is in the thousands, with a lot more production happening in greenhouses where the environment can be more closely controlled. During the busiest times of the year, Bylands employs about 180 people, including over 100 seasonal workers from Mexico, Guatemala, and Vietnam. The Central Okanagan’s highway transportation routes to Alberta provide easy access to Bylands’ largest markets: Calgary and Edmonton.
“There are pros and cons to anywhere you set up a business,” says John. “In the Central Okanagan, we are a little bit isolated [from other operations], so if there is a pest or something, it doesn’t affect us as much. The climate is fairly favourable; it’s dry, so there is a lot less disease pressure.”
While he notes that farmland value and the cost of business have risen significantly since they started the business, he says they’ve been able to manage it all quite well. Though he doesn’t foresee much organic growth for the business, John says they are “always looking for opportunity,” which will likely mean acquiring another operation somewhere down the line.
Over the years, Bylands has been recognized locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally. In 2011, Bylands Nurseries was awarded the first-ever RBC Grower of the Year Award by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, recognizing the company’s financial performance, its innovation, marketing, and environmental standards, as well as its HR management. Following this win, Bylands was recognized as the 2011 International Grower of the Year at the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) Awards. More recently, in December 2023, John and
Maria were presented with the Lifetime of Outstanding Service Award by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association.
With its garden centres located in West Kelowna and Kelowna, and a solid succession plan in place thanks to the involvement of the next generation of Bylands, there are sure to be many more awards and achievements in the years ahead for this Central Okanagan legacy.
