It was shocking and heartbreaking to hear of the recent closure of B.C. Tree Fruits, based in Kelowna and one of Canada’s best-known and respected agricultural co-operatives.
Kelowna, Slave Lake, Fort McMurray, Lytton, Lahaina, West Kelowna, now Jasper, just to name a few, are dramatic examples. Co-op organizations traditionally offer stability and resilience to their members as they nurture their orchards, which ultimately nurture all of us. Without warning, the growers were told they would have to figure out on their own how and where to sell their crops. Think about that for a minute. Their cold and controlled atmosphere storage facilities are shut down — there are no packing lines running — there is no sales force to try to bargain with the tight-fisted grocery czars.