BC Tree Fruits Co-operative (BCTFC) has announced the purchase of 85 acres of land in Kelowna, British Columbia (BC) with the purpose of building a new facility under the co-operative’s new ‘One Roof’ plan to consolidate the business and boost its capabilities.
The co-op also has an agreement in place to sell their property in Penticton, BC, some 62km (39 miles) from the new site. Both transactions will be completed by 31 May this year.
“It’s an exciting day for all of us,” said Todd McMyn, chief executive officer of the co-op. “This purchase signals our commitment to the industry, our growers, our staff and the Valley – and it will give us the ability to compete on a global scale moving forward.”
Jeet Dukhia, chair of the co-op, added: “I’m thrilled for the future of our co-operative following today’s news. On behalf of the rest of the board of directors, we are looking forward to working closely with the senior management as we design and build a world class facility that all of our grower members and staff can be proud of.”
BCTFC said its board of directors and senior executive will be working closely with all levels of government in the near future to lay the framework for the new facility located on Old Vernon Road in Kelowna.
When complete, the ‘One Roof’ plan will see a consolidation of all of the co-op’s northern facilities into this new facility, which will house apple, cherry, pear and soft fruit packing, as well as office space, cider operations and a “destination cidery”.
More news and updates will be available on the www.bctree.com website as the development progresses.
