Farmers hopeful BC Tree Fruits can be saved despite private company setting up at former site

For the archetypal clip since the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative went into receivership successful precocious July, apples are erstwhile again arriving astatine 1 of its sites successful Kelowna.

But it’s not the co-op operating the site. A backstage institution is successful the process of buying the Sexsmith Road retention facility.

“We conscionable started yet receiving apples present yesterday truthful it’s been a engaged tract the past mates of days,” NOVEM CEO Colin Davison said. “We were capable to get into the installation connected an exigency lease the opening of September, thankfully, portion we adjacent connected the transaction to acquisition the facility.”

NOVEM is successful the concern of storing pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products arsenic good arsenic agri-food.

“This installation volition instrumentality astir 25 cardinal pounds of apples,” Davison said. “So far, we’re astir 60 per cent. The installation is astir 60 per cent taken up.”

While galore erstwhile co-op members are thankful for the lifeline during pome harvest season, they’re disheartened that backstage companies are taking implicit their assets.

“Upset and aggravated that the authorities didn’t travel to the array and determination was ne'er a remark made that an 88-year-old instauration should beryllium saved,” said Amarjit Singh Lalli, a longtime co-op member.

Lalli is inactive holding retired anticipation the co-op tin beryllium saved but with a Nov. 30 deadline for the court-ordered merchantability of assets to close, the timepiece is ticking.

“Time is our biggest force close now, and truthful we’re doing everything successful our powerfulness to spouse with antithetic organizations to enactment a due connection together, to revive the co-op, restructure it successful a mode that it volition tally much efficiently,” Lalli told Global News.

Whether it’s palmy oregon not, farmers are calling for an probe into what went incorrect and however the co-op committee allowed the enactment to accrue a indebtedness of astir $60 million.

“We’d similar to spot the government, whichever 1 is formed, to travel guardant and bash a thorough probe arsenic to however an 88-year-old instauration went under, particularly with 2 authorities reps sitting astatine the array watching this happen,” Lalli said.

As members proceed their combat to prevention the co-op, NOVEM is looking up and already readying to physique a 2nd retention installation connected the Sexsmith Road site.

It’s besides funny successful acquiring the longtime BC Tree Fruits brand.

“It’s recognized worldwide,” Davison said. “So we don’t privation to spot that spell to waste. You know, we’d similar to usage the brand.”

Davison said NOVEM volition beryllium among immoderate different perchance funny companies that volition bid connected acquiring the BC Tree Fruits marque erstwhile the clip comes.

BC Tree Fruits Cooperative has assets crossed the Okanagan Valley, including a new, state-of-the-art $50-million sorting and packaging works successful Oliver.