40 years in 40 stories: Matt Delisle

Matt grew up on a dairy farm near Quebec City. His family was progressive for its time: in 2001, they became the first dairy farm in their area to install a milking parlour. Matt eventually chose a different path, studying IT before moving into sales and herd management software.

“I had a dairy background, I had an IT background, and I was good at sales. All three things combined are the perfect fit for my current position.” After working with UNIFORM-Agri through CIAQ for 2 years, Matt joined UNIFORM-Agri directly in June 2018. When the partnership changed, Harm-Jan, founder of UNIFORM-Agri, contacted him about the opportunity to continue building the Canadian market. “Harm-Jan called me the next day and offered me the position. I’ve never looked back since.”

When Matt started, UNIFORM-Agri had fewer than 50 customers in Canada. Today, that number is approaching 1,000. The Canadian team has grown alongside the customer base, with five helpdesk colleagues now supporting customers across the country. Quebec was an important starting point. There was a clear need for herd management software with French-language support, and from there, the business expanded across Canada. But growth is not simply about selling more licences. “You can’t sell 500 licences in a year if you don’t have the people to train and support those customers. We have to make sure our customers are happy and well trained.”

The Canadian market itself has changed as well. UNIFORM-Agri started in Canada almost entirely with dairy farms, while beef farms now make up a growing share of new customers. Matt also sees dairy farms increasing in size, with more specialised employees, such as dedicated herd managers.

For Matt, that is exactly why sales should always start with the farmer. “Every prospect and every customer is different. You have to ask about their needs, their challenges and where they see themselves in one, five or ten years.” Rather than showing every possible feature, he prefers to help farmers recognize how UNIFORM can solve their own challenges. “If they see the potential solution themselves, you don’t really have to convince them.”

Although Matt works thousands of kilometres away from many of his colleagues, the international nature of UNIFORM-Agri has been an important part of his journey. Especially in his first few years, he learned a great deal from colleagues who had already gone through similar experiences in other markets. Graham in the UK was one of them. “He had been going through the same steps as I was. Obviously, the UK is not the same market as Canada — there are tons of differences — but the core of what he could teach me was really valuable.”

Matt also mentions Tineke, CEO of UNIFORM-Agri, and Harm-Jan, founder of UNIFORM-Agri. “With Tineke, I knew that when I came to her with a problem, she would come up with an idea completely outside the box. Harm-Jan has a more traditional way of looking at things, but some formulas simply don’t change over time and were proven very helpful.” Every market may be different, but sharing knowledge across countries has helped Matt develop the Canadian business in a way that fits the needs of local farmers.

Another thing that stood out to Matt was the company culture. Having previously worked for North American companies, Matt noticed a different approach at UNIFORM-Agri. “I think UNIFORM-Agri puts the focus on employees first because they know that if they take care of their employees, the employees will naturally take care of the company.”

There are goals and targets, of course, but Matt says he has never felt that pressure takes priority over people. Instead, there is trust and room to take responsibility. “That gives you the freedom and confidence to go out there and rock it.”

Asked what has helped UNIFORM-Agri remain successful for 40 years, Matt’s answer comes back to one thing: customer care. “You need a great product, of course. But having a great product alone is no guarantee of longevity. You also need to support the people using it.”

Looking ahead, Matt expects the pace of change to continue increasing. He has already seen it in the growth of the company, the number of customers and the speed at which the product continues to develop. Farm data will become even more important, with farmers increasingly wanting to use their own data in ways that fit their specific needs and challenges.

Exactly what the industry will look like in another 40 years is hard to predict. But some things, Matt believes, are unlikely to change. “We’re still going to need cows. We’re still going to need milk, cheese and meat in 40 years — that’s a certainty. How farmers produce them and how they use technology and data will continue to evolve, and our Canadian team is in a great position to evolve with them. We’ve built a strong team, we understand our customers, and we’re ready for whatever the next 40 years bring.”