About Cravo

Introduction and history of the retractable roofs

Since Cravo was incorporated in 1977 it has been involved in motorized retractable curtain systems.

In 1982, Cravo developed the first outdoor retractable roof shade house in response to a grower in Thunder Bay Ontario who wanted to be able to close a shade cloth over his outdoor holding area for tree seedlings which he was acclimating. He needed the roof to be motorized since the roof had to retract in the event of snow since his conventional shade houses collapsed when he was unable to pull the shade back before the snow. A snow sensor was developed to automatically retract the roof when snow was falling.

1982 - Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

1988 - Somis, California

In 1988, a grower in California wanted to be able to protect the bedding plants in his outdoor growing area from frost. This led to the roof covering on the retractable roof to be made from woven white polypropylene fabric instead of regular black shade cloth.

In 1989, a propagator in Homestead Florida wanted to be able to prevent the heat from entering his greenhouse since the conventional ventilation system was unable to keep his greenhouses sufficiently cool. This led to the development of the exterior retractable shade systems being installed above the greenhouse.

1989 - Homestead, Florida

In 1990, Cravo developed the world's first retractable A frame greenhouse that was installed in Pennsylvania to protect outdoor bulb crops from excessive cold and rain. In 1991, they were then used to harden off containerized tree seedlings in British Columbia, Canada, and then in 1993 they were used extensively to grow bedding plants throughout the United States. The growers soon found out that the bedding plants and perennials were naturally more compact, had brighter colors, had fewer foliar diseases, and were already acclimated to outdoor conditions since they had been exposed to the natural outdoors during the growing process.

1990 - Myerstown, Pennsylvania1993 - Prince George BC, Canada1993 - Marysville, Washington

However many questions arose about the ability of the retractable roof to withstand snow and wind, and how to best control the retractable roof and walls.

As more retractable roofs were installed, they were eventually exposed to the heavy snow loads of the north and they proved their ability to hold the loads. They also were installed in the warmer southern conditions to protect ornamentals from the occasional freeze, hail and excessive heat. The retractable roofs proved their ability to withstand the frequent summer tropical storms.

Grand Haven, Michigan,  Fulshear, Texas,  Pitt Meadows, British Columbia

Mount Vernon, Washington,  Huntersville, North Carolina,  Lakeland, Florida

In 1996, shade, blackout and heat retention curtains were added to allow growers to extend their season, and bring poinsettias into bloom on time. Growers started incorporating hanging baskets, irrigation booms, flood floors and a variety of heating systems as they expanded uses of the retractable roof greenhouses. Then in Costa Rica and California, growers of stock plants wanted insect net incorporated into the retractable roof so that their stock plants could be exposed to direct unfiltered sunlight while still being protected from insects.

1996 - Detroit, Michigan1997 - Costa Rica1998 - Australia

While growers using the retractable roofs realized the benefits of exposing plants to outdoor conditions, those in northern climates found that the retractable roof covering was not always optimal for growing plants in the colder, darker months of January and February. They wanted higher light levels inside and better condensation control which is possible only with a rigid covering. This started the market for open hinged roof houses with glass roofs. Other growers in northern locations did not need glass for their crops, but wanted good energy efficiency so they chose a hinged open roof covered with inflated double poly.

Over time, it became clear that if you were located in a northern climate, the retractable roof was good for protecting plants that are dormant during the winter like perennials and ornamentals and excellent for growing plants during the spring, summer and fall. In warmer climates, the retractable roof was suitable for year round production.

The fact that the open hinged roof could be covered with glass, acrylic, polycarbonate or double inflated poly made them more suitable for actively growing crops in cold climates in the winter, but the higher cost of the open hinged roof made them less attractive in warmer climates.

In 2002, the retractable roofs where then used to grow foliage plants in Florida both as a tool to grow them, and then to acclimate them. In 2004, the first retractable roof was used in aquaculture in Florida to help maintain optimum water temperatures for shrimp.

Between the years 2003 to 2009, the retractable roofs were really put to the test being hit by Hurricanes Charlie, Francis, Jeanne, Ivan, Katrina, Wilma, Ike, and Norbert,. Eight hurricanes later, and not one retractable roof structure was lost in any of the hurricanes. In some cases the roofs were closed during the hurricanes and in others they were retracted.

While the concept of closing and retracting the greenhouse roof is easy to understand, many growers had difficulty imaging all the possible strategies that they could utilize to improve the plant production process.

2002 - Fort Pierce, Florida2004 - Labelle Florida2004 - Boynton Beach, Florida

In 2005 the use of retractable roofs expanded to a new market. The retractable roof was the backbone for a new destination garden center in Portland Oregon. The philosophy behind this garden center design was to ensure that the customers are comfortable everywhere in the shopping environment regardless of the weather outside. Historically, garden centers had a greenhouse, a shade house and outdoor sales area. When it was raining or too hot outside, customers did not want to be outside so sales were lost. Conversely, when outdoor conditions were beautiful, customers did not want to be in a greenhouse or shade house. Consequently, putting a retractable roof over the entire sales area allowed customers and plants to be in optimal conditions regardless of the weather. This design resulted in significantly higher annual sales and reduced crop shrinkage by over 85% and the garden center won "Garden Center of the Year!"

2005 - Sherwood, Oregon

Growers in warmer climates wanted to protect their lower value outdoor crops from rain and cold but the conventional A frame retractable roof greenhouse was too expensive. This led to the development and introduction in 2006 of the retractable A-frame "rafter" greenhouse. This greenhouse was designed with wider spans and lower roof slopes for mild or hot climates where there is high wind loads and low snow loads.

2006 - Oakland, California2006 - Galveston, Texas

In 2006, the use of the retractable roofs expanded again and it was used to cover a water park. This changed the focus from creating optimal conditions for plants, to creating a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing environment where families could enjoy the water and never be too hot or cold. In fact, the water park received the award for the "Best indoor water park in the world!" That same year, a dog kennel owner wanted to cover an outdoor play area for the dogs so that they would stay dry and clean during the rain. This dramatic expansion of applications for retractable roofs resulted in the vision statement of Cravo changing to "Creating better environments for people, plants and animals." ^TM

2006 - San Remo, Italy2006 - Kyle TX2008 - Issum, Germany

In the years 2006 to 2009, the retractable roofs made their way to growing flowers on the slopes of San Remo Italy, to growing vegetables in Mexico, to growing perennials in Germany.

The 20 years of experience in which the retractable roof houses were exposed to the heavy snow loads of the north, the hurricane winds of the south, the humid conditions of the tropics to the dry arid conditions of the desert has allowed for a refinement of the drive systems and roof coverings.

The end result is that the current roof coverings being used have proven life spans of 9 to 14 years depending on location, use and type of crop being grown inside.  In addition, the drive systems have been refined to the point where they are easy to maintain and are trouble free.