HomeMy WebLinkAbout384"Article copied from _The Ontrario Village of Brougham - Past, Present, and Future_ by
Robert Miller,1973.
John Grudeff was born in Bulgaria, and immigrated to Canada in 1912. He attended Albert
College in 1914 and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1922. He then attended Law
School and received his L.L.D. degree in 1926.
While he was practising law in Toronto, one of his clients was in the process of selling a farm in
Pickering Township. The purchaser and his lawyer were not satisfied with the deed. Mr. Grudeff
said the belaboured technicality was of no importance, but perhaps it furnished an excuse to
nullify the deal. As his client was anxious to sell the property, Mr. Grudeff offered to buy it. In this
way, he acquired Lot 19, Concession 4, Township of Pickering for $6000.00, and became the
owner of the Beverley Robson farm in 1939.
This farm was reputed to have the best water and produce the best raspberries of any land.
The Domionion Mushroom Co. became a business firm in 1944-45. Mr. Grudeff offered $50.00
for the best name suggested for the new company, and his daughter Marian won the prize.
Four mushroom houses and a large heating plant were built initially, and two buildings were
added later. Ten to twelve men and a manager were hired at first and gradually the work force
was increased to forty.
In the early years, Dominion Mushroom produced 300 baskets of mushrooms per week or two
pounds to the square foot, and received a retail price of 65c a pound. In 1973, four pounds to the
square foot are grown and although the price has changed very little, the higher production
ensures a consistent income.
In 1954, Mr. Grudeff started building a new house, incorporating the old stone house
(called the castle) in the plan. The house was nearly completed when in the new year,
fire demolished both the new and the old portions of the building. The present 15-room house
was erected on the original site in 1955.
The Dominion Mushroom Co. was divided in 1961 when Mr. Grudeff acquired a partner in the
business. In 1963, his last interest in the company was sold, but the name has been retained.
Victor J. Urik was the first manager of the Dominion Mushroom Co. under Mr. Grudeff. Nicholas
Pora has been manager of the company for the last ten years and brought production to its high
level. The company is one of the largest of its kind in Ontario in
1973.
John Grudeff became a K.C. (King's Council) in 1943 and a Judge in 1949. He retired as a
judge in February. 1964. His wife insisted that he take life easy, but after four months,
he was back at the office. He could not accustom himself to the leisure time suddenly at his
disposal. Mr. Grudeff is an accomplished musician and plays the piano with the dexterity of a
professional. He has two daughters, Marian and Lillian. Marian Grudeff is internationally
famous as a concert pianist. She played with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at eleven years
of age. Lillian is a journalist and writes articles for leading magazines.
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