Apple Farmers in Rural Nova Scotia Picking Up Speed

Government of Canada supports technology enhancements to make apple packing more efficient

October 18, 2016 – Annapolis Valley, N.S. – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)

Apples have been a product of the Annapolis Valley since the early days of French settlement, but to stay competitive the industry must continue to renew itself. One bad apple shouldn’t spoil the whole bunch, and with technological upgrades those bad apples will be easier to detect. 

The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board of Canada and Member of Parliament for Kings – Hants, today announced a total of $1,000,000 in repayable contributions from the Government of Canada to support technology modernization at both the Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited and Van Meekeren Farms Limited. The funding was provided through ACOA’s Business Development Program (BDP) and announced on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

A $500,000 contribution to Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited will assist with the purchase of new packing equipment to increase efficiency and productivity as the volume of apple crops continues to grow. It is essential that sorting and grading of perishable fruit is done in a timely manner.  Upgrades to the Scotian Gold packing line will increase capacity by more than 50%.

Van Meekeren Farms Limited is receiving a $500,000 contribution to modernize its apple packing line with state-of-the-art equipment. This includes an optical apple sorter that will speed up the packaging process. Additionally, Internal Frequency Analysis (IFA) technology is being installed to detect the internal browning of apples. This will ensure that the highest quality product is always being produced.

Improvements are needed for the company’s apple packing line to keep up with production requirements to satisfy increased demand and to handle delicate varieties such as Honeycrisp, which are very sensitive to injuries. The equipment being acquired and installed will improve production efficiencies, while ensuring that the quality of the product is not compromised.

Quotes

“Innovation that increases the productivity, growth and competitiveness of businesses is critical to Atlantic Canada’s economic success. That’s why the Government of Canada is proud to support local businesses such as Van Meekeren Farms and Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited as they expand, secure larger markets, and in doing so, help strengthen the local and national economies. This support will help to make good farmers better and produce better quality apples for the marketplace.”

     - The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

“Through the Atlantic Growth Strategy, we are focusing our efforts and resources on stimulating the region’s economy and addressing both long-standing and emerging regional challenges. Spurring value-added opportunities in established industries, such as agriculture, is an important component of a growing Atlantic Canadian economy. We’re proud to be investing in the Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited and the Van Meekeren family’s thriving businesses right here in rural Nova Scotia.”

     - The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board of Canada and Member of Parliament for Kings – Hants

“The Scotian Gold brand is known throughout Canada and the United States as a premium product. This investment will allow Scotian Gold to significantly increase production levels to enable us to continue to supply our customers as our apple volume increases.”

     - David Parrish, President & CEO, Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited

“Van Meekeren Farms Limited prides itself on distributing fresh, high-quality fruit locally and throughout Canada, the United States and overseas. In order to keep up with industry demands we must improve our production capabilities. We plan to put this investment to work by improving our production and expanding our product line.”

     - Stephen Van Meekeren, President, Van Meekeren Farms Limited

Associated Links

Scotian Gold Cooperative Website
Scotian Gold Cooperative Facebook Page
Scotian Gold Cooperative Twitter

Van Meekeren Farms Website
Van Meekeren Farms Facebook Page
Van Meekeren Farms Twitter

Atlantic Growth Strategy

Contacts

Alex Smith
Director of Communications and Outreach
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Phone: 902-426-9417 / 902-830-3839 (cell)
E-mail: alex.smith@canada.ca

David Parrish
President & CEO
Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited
Phone: 902-679-2191
E-mail: david.parrish@scotiangold.com 

Stephen Van Meekeren
President
Van Meekeren Farms
Phone: 902-678-2366
Email: stephen@givethemawink.com 

Backgrounder

Approximately 15 years ago, stakeholders and governments collaborated to implement a long-term strategy to optimize and innovate the apple industry in Nova Scotia. The objective was to transform the industry by introducing premium, better yield varieties of apples and best management practices for orchard maintenance.

As a direct result, the strategy contributed to the optimization and transformation of the industry. Now, there is a large variety of apples being packaged in the province, such as Honeycrisp, Gala, etc., and yields have almost doubled. These increased yields have put the current production line at its full capacity in volume. With so much growth happening in the industry, producers such as Van Meekeren Farms and Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited must upgrade their infrastructure to supply demand and stay competitive. 

Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited is located in Coldbrook, Nova Scotia and is the largest apple packing and storage operation in eastern Canada, with 40% of the market share. Scotian Gold markets apples throughout Canada and exports to the United Kingdom and the United States. The 32 grower member farms that make up the cooperative employ approximately 700 workers. The apple fruit tree industry plays a major role in both the economic and rural social life of the Annapolis Valley.

Van Meekeren Farms Limited is a family owned and fully integrated business that grows, stores and markets apples. Established in 1967, Van Meekeren Farms has grown significantly throughout the years and now offers a large product line of apple varieties. In the past, with support from ACOA, the company has been successful in expanding its infrastructure to better package and distribute quality fruit to market.