The B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative north of Osoyoos is closing its retail outlet in early September. The packinghouse will close after the last of this year’s apple crop is received. (Richard McGuire photo)
The planned closure of the B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative packinghouse and store north of Osoyoos marks the end of a 70-year era in the local fruit industry.
The store on 87th Street is slated to close on Sept. 9 and the packinghouse will close once this year’s apple crop has been received, said Chris Pollock, marketing manager with B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative.
The building originally opened in 1947 under the Monashee Co-operative Growers Association.
Pollock said senior management decided to close the facility in order to maximize financial returns to growers who are members of the co-operative.
The aging Osoyoos facility would have needed “multimillions” in upgrades, he said. At the same time, other facilities, primarily Oliver, are able to pick up the slack.
In addition to saving the upgrading costs, the co-operative will save on operating costs.
“We’re trying to do our due diligence,” said Pollock. “Our responsibility is to ensure that our growers can make a profit and make a living.”
It made sense, he said, to invest in other facilities.
“Storage wise, it didn’t make sense to invest the money into upgrading that facility,” he said. “The savings that we’re going to incur for our growers are significant enough to make this decision.”
This means that starting next year, soft fruit packing that was done in Osoyoos will be moved to Oliver, Pollock said.
He was unable to give precise information on how many staff will be affected. He pointed out that some staff have been splitting their time between the Osoyoos and Oliver facilities, and the closure could see them working the same number of hours entirely in Oliver.
The store, which sold fresh fruit and vegetables, will not be relocating to Oliver, Pollock said.
“We will do our best to ensure that we continue to supply retail stores in the area with produce, but unfortunately the store will not be relocating,” he said.
The store closure is a casualty of the larger decision to close the entire facility, Pollock said.
The Osoyoos operation carried out the packing of apples and such soft fruits as peaches, nectarines, plums and prunes. Osoyoos-area cherries were already being packed in Oliver.
It also provided a receiving facility for growers in the area.
Pollock acknowledged that Osoyoos-area growers will be inconvenienced by having to drive farther with their fruit, but he reiterated that the cost savings would benefit the 430 grower families in the co-operative generally.
The facility came under the Okanagan Tree Fruits Cooperative when packinghouses in the region were amalgamated in 2008, and the name was later changed to B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
