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Catalyzing worker co-ops & the solidarity economy

B.C. Tree Fruits co-operative shutting down after 88 years

After operating in the Okanagan Valley for nearly nine decades, the B.C. Tree Fruits co-operative announced to growers on Friday it is dissolving and seeking court direction to liquidate its assets.

The co-operative, which is made up of more than 230 farming families, is perhaps best known to consumers for its green leaf logo that has adorned fruit packaging and apple stickers for decades as a sign of B.C.-grown quality. 

Members have been informed by email that as of Friday, the co-operative would no longer be receiving fruit at its packing facilities and advised growers to "immediately search for another alternative to market your fruit for the balance of the 2024 season."

In a written statement, the company cited "extremely low estimated fruit volumes, weather effects and difficult market and financial conditions" as the reasons for dissolving the co-operative. 

The news comes as many Okanagan fruit farmers are facing catastrophic crop losses from extreme weather this winter that wiped out almost all of the valley's peach, apricot and nectarine crops and severely damaged cherry orchards. 

Read the rest at CBC

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