By Canadian Press

B.C. tree fruit grower co-operative shuts down after 88 years, citing low volume

Jul 27, 2024 | 11:51 AM

OKANAGAN, B.C. — A British Columbia co-operative that has been selling and promoting the province’s fruit for the last 88 years is shutting down.

In a letter sent to members Friday and obtained by The Canadian Press, the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative says “extremely low” volumes of fruit and difficult market conditions mean it will no longer be accepting fruit.

The letter says the co-operative, which processes, stores, packages and sells fruit for 230 member farms, will be going to court for direction on how to wind down and “maximize recovery for all stakeholders.”

It says growers should “immediately search for another alternative” to get their products to market for the rest of the season.

The news comes as many fruit farmers in the province grapple with catastrophic crop losses from weather this winter that wiped out almost all peaches, apricots and nectarines for the year and severely damaged cherry orchards.

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In mid-January, the B.C. Interior saw several days of frigid temperatures that killed off active buds in trees that had only just begun to recover from the 2021 heat dome and had gone through a harsh winter in 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2024

The Canadian Press