50 years of growth: Benoit Greenhouses continues family-owned operation

Back in late December during what for many is holiday fog, the gardening staff of the family-owned Benoit Greenhouses was hard at work ensuring annuals, perennials, vegetable plants, succulents and tropicals make it to their customers’ flower beds and pots this spring.

Many of the plants purchased in the spring begin with cuttings that are meticulously placed in small pots in large rows in the greenhouses of the garden center, said Mandy Benoit, who owns Benoit Greenhouses along with her husband, Luke.

Mandy serves as the “chief creative officer,” a job that includes photography and marketing, while Luke handles operations, including growing the thousands of plants that are available wholesale and to the public.

Mandy and Luke Benoit purchased Benoit Greenhouses in 2020 from Luke’s parents, Vince and Christine Benoit, right at the start of COVID.

With curbside pickup and the outdoor atmosphere, Benoit said, the business was able to continue to grow.

With a new generation of Benoits at the helm, Benoit Greenhouses will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

The work at the greenhouse, which includes two selling seasons – spring/summer and fall – is often a family affair.

Other than one employee and some seasonal staff members, the Benoit Greenhouses staff is made up of nieces, nephews, cousins, parents and the Benoit’s four children, Leo, Kate, Anthony and Lucy.

After all, Luke Benoit grew up much the same way after his parents, Christine and Vince, purchased the greenhouse business along with Vince’s cousins, Mark and Brenda Benoit, in 1975.

The foursome ran the garden center until 1989, when Christine and Vince became the sole owners.

However, the gardening business goes back much further in time. The glass greenhouses used by the Benoits date back to 1884 when they were owned by Charles Splear.

In 2016, the Benoits purchased additional greenhouses on eBay and traveled to Decatur, Ind., to disassemble them, down to every bolt and screw, and then rebuild them on the nearly 70-acre Benoit Greenhouses property.

“The Benoit kids can work like no one else, they all have an amazing work ethic,” Mandy Benoit said. “It really is so cool to be able to work with your cousins.”

After the spring gardening season ends, Benoit Greenhouses closes for part of the summer and reopens in the fall selling pumpkins, gourds and mums along with fresh donuts and fall-themed drink concoctions such as s’mores cold brew or salted caramel hot chocolate.

The greenhouse also has a corn maze and a giant inflatable pumpkin among other activities for children and adults.

Last fall, the couple decided to venture in new territory and hosted a 40-person farm-to-table dinner on the property that included hand-built cedar tables, cut flowers from the garden and catering by Crème of the Crop Catering and Food Truck.

This year, Benoit said, the event will be open to the public.

Benoit Greenhouses is located at 568 N. 2750E Road in Kankakee. For information, visit benoitgreenhouses.com.