Who We Are

What We Do

The Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative is the result of an amalgamation, in June 2008, of the operations of four grower-owned packinghouses: Okanagan North Growers Cooperative, BC Fruit Packers Cooperative, Sun Fresh Cooperative Growers, and Okanagan Similkameen Cooperative Growers Association. Each has a unique history of serving the Okanagan grower base.

 

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Who We Are The Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative is the culmination of decades of consolidations and mergers in the tree fruit industry. In 1957, there were 36 cooperative societies, 20 indepenedent shippers, and 5 grower-shippers selling their product through BC Tree Fruits. By 1972, the number of packinghouses had consolidated to 14 cooperatives and 4 independent shippers. The previous round of amalgamations, to 4 cooperative packinghouses, occurred in 1998. The Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative was formed to meet the competitive pressures of the marketplace. The management and staff look forward to serving all of the growers of the newly formed cooperative.

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What We Do

The Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative is owned by the member growers who bring their fruit to our storage, packaging, and shipping facilities. Detailed records are kept for each growers' fruit. Growers are paid according to market returns from each variety they deliver. For example, apples are separated by variety, grade, and size. Each variety has three to five grades and each grade has twelve to fourteen sizes! That's a lot of information! The direct correlation to market returns encourages growers to produce the varieties, sizes, and grades demanded by your local grocery store. Unfortunately, sometimes mother nature can have a very significant influence!

Fruit Storage

The life of an apple is not over at harvest, but instead may continue for many months later depending on the quality and variety of apple. Some of our apples are put into long term controlled atmosphere (CA) storage and kept there for up to eight months. This special type of storage regulates the oxygen content to extremely low levels in conjunction with temperatures just above freezing to prevent the fruit from ripening. The fruit not stored in CA storage is kept in regular cold storage where oxygen levels are not regulated. This is usually the first fruit that is packed after harvest.

Color Sorting and Sizing

From cold storage or CA, apples stored in bulk bins, containing approximately 800lbs of fruit each are brought into the facility to determine size and color. The bins of bulk fruit are forced under water and the apples float free from the bins and are transported by water. Colour sorting is done by a mechanized color sorter. The color sorter has a system of cameras that analyze each apple as it passes by the cameras. The data obtained by the cameras is then passed to a computer, which grades each apple. Apples are then passed on to the sizer. The sizer weighs each apple and distributes them into specific flumes depending on the grade and size of the apple. The apple sizer and color sorter are tied together via computer. Because of the tie, all the apples of similar size and appearance are grouped together i.e. BC Extra-Fancy 72's will grouped together (BC Extra-Fancy A is the grade, 72 is the size which is in reference to 72 apples per bushel. The larger the apple the smaller the number). At this point the graded apples are put back into the bulk bins ready for storage and/or packaging.

Packaging

Before packing the fruit, the apples have a layer of wax applied as their natural wax was removed at the sorting and sizing stage. The wax brings back the shiny luster that the apple is often known for. Packaging of the fruit is done by hand and is packed in boxes or 3, 5 or 10 pound plastic bags. After the bagged fruit has been packaged, it is then placed in either large totes or regular sized apple boxes.

Final Steps

The boxes of both tray packed and bagged fruit are then inventoried and stamped with the variety, date of packing. From the stamper, the boxes filled with apples are sealed and sent to cold storage to await shipment by refrigerated truck to distributors or supermarkets.