A happy dairy cow is a productive dairy cow.
“And a reproductive dairy cow,” added Bioret Agri Inc. President Adam Steward.
Keeping dairy cattle happy, productive and reproductive through innovative temperature-controlled water beds, latex-foam mattresses and virgin rubber flooring is at the core of Bioret’s raison d’être.
In brief, Bioret flooring is designed to offer a combination of traction, more equitable weight distribution and grooving combined with a six degree slope which says Steward, promotes cleaner, dryer hooves while separating liquid and solid waste to cut ammonia emissions by 42 per cent.
Latex-foam mattresses are covered by a virgin rubber top. The water bed version adds temperature controlled liquid to a one-point-five-inch latex mat, combining comfort with temperature regulation support.
In either situation, encouraging a cow to lay down longer through creature comfort promotes rumination.
A dairy cow’s ideal temperature range is between two and four degrees Celsius Steward continued. Keeping dairy cattle cool and laying down through the elevated comfort/operation of the water beds allows them to use feed for milk production rather than temperature regulation. During pregnancy, animals kept cool also produce larger, healthier calves with higher immunity says Steward, and return to peak production more quickly.
“We bring the cow into the design process, it’s a cow-centred design.”
The company’s focus on sustainability is reflected both in the fact mats are created from waste foam repurposed from a human mattress factory, and heat captured through waterbed cooling can be redirected into either digesters or animal drinking water. In one Elmira-area farm, drinker temperature was raised from eight degrees Celsius to between 14 and 15, making it more attractive to cattle.
The products resonate with what Steward refers to as ‘cow people’, farmers who will do anything for their animals and in return, benefit.
“They’re pampered, but this is about making farmers money.”
Founded by French dairy farmer Alain Bioret from his own cattle-centric observations, the company acted as a modest four-employee entity until its sale to one of his two sons (the other took over the family dairy farm) roughly 15 years ago. In the intervening period, Bioret has grown to 120 employees and is active in over 60 countries worldwide.
For years, its involvement in North America amounted to one long-term client in Quebec, however Bioret entered the market ‘with purpose’ in 2014. Steward came onboard in 2021 as a travelling salesman. In order to shorten an effective 12-15-week lag between orders and Canadian delivery, he created a temporary base of operations/storage on a farm north of Woodstock in 2023.
“Timeliness is a factor,” said Steward, who saw business go up 30 per cent in the first month. Successive success led to the establishment of a permanent 11,000-square-foot production/sales facility on a three-acre property at 434972 43rd Line, Ingersoll. Outdoor warehouse space roughly doubles that capacity. Ground was broken in August, 2024, move-in day under a year later in June, 2025.
The location is in close proximity to both a large number of Ontario dairy farms says Steward, as well as the first leg of transportation to Eastern Canada and the United States along Highways 401 and 403. It also offers access to a quality, rural workforce who understands dairy farming.
“There are aggie kids out here that get this.”
Business has risen significantly since construction, up over 200 per cent. There are currently three employees at the Bioret head office, with a fourth planned to be hired in the next few months. The company also employs two salespeople based in Quebec and Wisconsin respectively.
“We have the space to triple our warehouse size,” Steward said, of what initially was a ten-year plan. “But that’s probably five or six with how things have gone.”
Continued growth is the plan moving forward. Bioret came comparatively late to the North American dairy cow mattress/flooring market Steward concedes, but is looking to move upward toward the goal of number one, progressing with each interested farmer, whether their dairy herd is 10 or 10,000.
“We are here for the long term for the cows, for the farmers and for the community.”
A lot has happened in a hurry for both Bioret and Steward, who has found the journey eminently enjoyable. First a salesman who extolled the company’s products and praised its effectiveness, he still finds customer feedback among his job’s greatest rewards.
“The really rewarding thing is when customers tell you it’s doing exactly what you said,” Steward concluded. “It’s an affirmation.”