Santos: The Man Who Kept Planting

Issue #6  |  September 7, 2026

Welcome to our sixth edition.

This newsletter brings together two worlds that have more in common than most people realize.

In rural Honduras, there are farming communities full of people who have worked the land their whole lives, growers who know their crops, take pride in their work, and are looking for opportunities that simply aren't available at home. In Southern Ontario, greenhouse and farm operations are looking for exactly that kind of worker, reliable, experienced, and genuinely committed to the job.

The Mayan Greenhouse Connection exists because Maya Maple Connect believes that relationship is worth building carefully, and worth communicating clearly. We are Honduran owned and Honduran run, and we care deeply about the people we work with on both sides.

This newsletter is part of how we stay connected with the farms and communities we serve. If you're planning for next season or facing gaps right now, let's talk.

Contact us

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Some people come to Canada with a suitcase. Santos came with a lifetime of memories, a handful of dreams, and the hope that his hard work could finally grow into something more.

In San Miguelito, Francisco Morazán, Santos Guillermo Medina Reyes learned early that life could depend on something as simple and unpredictable as rain. At 38, he had spent most of his life planting corn, beans, sorghum, and other crops. He knew the land and what it meant to wait for a harvest. He also knew what it meant when the rain didn't come. When crops failed, there was nothing to sell and little money to live on. Sometimes the food on his table was simply what he had grown himself, corn and beans, with chicken only when he could afford it. He planted avocado and other fruit trees, and when the land gave him cassava, it meant a little more variety. There was nothing glamorous about his life, but there was dignity in it. Santos worked, and he kept hoping.

For years, he watched people from his community leave, work abroad, build houses, and change their circumstances. He wanted that opportunity too. Since he was 20, he had dreamed of working outside Honduras. The United States was once the dream; Canada became another possibility. But wanting to leave and knowing how to do it legally and safely were two very different things. He had heard of people from his community being deceived while searching for work abroad, and he didn't know which opportunities were real.

Then a friend told him about Maya Maple Connect. Santos applied. There were interviews, more interviews, requirements, and steps to follow. He kept going, and eventually the answer arrived: his Canadian visa was approved. He remembers feeling incredibly happy, not simply because he was going to another country, but because after years of wanting an opportunity, someone had finally opened a door he could actually walk through.

Santos did not come to Canada expecting an easy life. He came to work. What surprised him was how differently agriculture was organized. In Honduras he had learned through experience; in Canada there was structure, established processes, and techniques he could learn, and Santos paid attention. He is proud that he is not only earning money but learning something he can take home, because his dream has never been simply to make money and leave. He plans to complete his full two-year contract and, if he can, renew and keep working in Canada. He lives simply, helps his aunt, and saves as much as possible, knowing every dollar is a step toward returning to Honduras and starting his own business.

Then came a loss he never expected. While Santos was beginning this new chapter, his grandmother, the woman he knew as his mother, became ill and passed away. He could not make it home for her funeral. He could have returned. Instead, he made the painful decision to stay, not because he loved her any less, but because he had already done everything he could for her, in Honduras and after arriving in Canada. Now he carries her memory with him.

The irony of Santos' story is that he left Honduras because the crops he planted could not always grow, and in Canada he began planting something else: a future. He left home with a dream, lost someone he loved while far away, grieved, and kept going. Because sometimes starting over does not mean forgetting where you came from. Sometimes it means carrying everyone you love with you, and continuing to plant.

Maya Maple Connect is proud to be part of Santos' journey.

Read Santos's full story at mayangreenhouseconnection.fyi

If you are interested in hiring workers similar to Santos, please reach out to [email protected].

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• A severe storm with winds exceeding 100 km/h, heavy rain, and large hail swept across southern Ontario, with Huron and Perth counties experiencing the most significant damage. Growers should document any crop or infrastructure losses and contact their insurance providers promptly. Read more ->

• The European Union is considering pesticide residue limits that could restrict Canadian exports to EU member countries. Growers selling into European markets need to monitor regulatory developments and review their current spray programs for compliance risk. Read more ->

• Ontario growers face mounting cost pressures and trade uncertainty as tariff announcements escalate heading into 2026. Rising input costs combined with trade pressure will require careful margin management and diversification of market channels for competitiveness. Read more ->

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• Counter tariffs threaten to increase costs on grower inputs while flower producers face immediate cash flow strain from border duties. Operators should monitor the federal $7.5B support package announcements to understand eligibility and timing for relief. Read more ->

• Sensor based irrigation systems can reduce water consumption by matching application rates to substrate moisture levels. For water stressed regions, this technology offers measurable ROI through decreased usage and improved crop consistency. Read more ->

• FVGC appointed Stephen Heckbert, former Canadian Pork Council CEO, as executive director to lead national advocacy during sector uncertainty. His experience navigating commodity price and regulatory challenges positions the organization to represent grower interests more effectively. Read more ->

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The Yoro and Aguan Valley region in northern Honduras spans tropical lowlands with high rainfall and humid conditions ideal for year-round agriculture. The region is dominated by three major export crops: African palm oil, bananas, and pineapple, cultivated across both large industrial operations and smallholder farms. This area represents a critical supply chain for tropical commodities; Honduras exports approximately 900,000 metric tons of bananas annually, with the Aguan Valley contributing substantially to this volume. Recent years have seen intensified agricultural expansion alongside ongoing land tenure complexities. For Ontario operators sourcing inputs or labor from this region, understanding local supply chain dynamics and land access issues remains essential to sourcing reliability and worker recruitment practices.

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• Severe drought affecting 80% of Honduras territory has triggered emergency declarations; southern regions face crop losses as farmers wait for September rains, directly impacting supply chain reliability for producers sourcing from the region. Read more ->

• Poor rainfall in the western Dry Corridor has driven localized crop losses during the primera season; monitor conditions closely if sourcing specialty crops or inputs from affected areas in the Aguan Valley region. Read more ->

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Canadian Greenhouse Conference

October 7 and 8, 2026 | Niagara Falls Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, Ontario

The largest gathering of commercial growers in the country, covering flowers, vegetables, berries, and nursery crops. This year's program includes 82,000 square feet of trade show floor, national and international speakers, a new variety showcase, and research poster presentations.

Also on the schedule: a bus tour in Leamington on October 6, a networking happy hour on October 7, and student day programming on October 8.

Registration is open. Exhibit space for 2026 is sold out, so plan to attend rather than exhibit this year.

Details and registration

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Filling seasonal labour through TFWP takes planning. The operations that secure the workers they need, on time, fully compliant, already prepared for greenhouse work, are the ones that start the conversation early.

Most recruitment firms source from many countries at once. Maya Maple Connect does one thing. We recruit from Honduras, and only from Honduras. We are a boutique firm, Honduran owned and Honduran run, built by people who have spent over 10 years recruiting from Honduran farming communities for Canadian greenhouses.

That focus is the whole point. Because we work in a single country, we know its regions, we know its farming communities, and in most cases we know the workers personally. We are not filling a quota from whichever labour pool is easiest to reach this season. We select from a country we understand deeply, which means the candidates who reach you are the strongest ones available, not simply the ones who happened to be at hand. A firm recruiting across a dozen countries cannot say the same.

What we handle: Candidate sourcing, TFWP documentation, compliance review, and worker onboarding. By the time someone arrives at your operation, the paperwork is done and they know what to expect.

What you do: Review candidates, approve placements, and focus on your season.

If you're planning for an upcoming season or dealing with a gap right now, book a 15-minute call with our team, we'll tell you exactly what's available and what the process looks like.

Learn more at mayamaple.com

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• Immigration policy scrutiny is affecting agricultural labour recruitment and program stability; operators should monitor policy developments and plan workforce strategies accordingly. Read more ->

Contact us | [email protected]