Helping Terra Beata Farms be the berry best
News release
Government of Canada funding of $450,000 to help company to purchase equipment to increase productivity and efficiency
July 25, 2018 – Heckmans Island, NS – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
The jobs of the future depend on Canadians’ ability to continue to adapt, innovate and maintain our competitive edge in the fast-paced and increasingly global economy. That is why the Government of Canada is providing a $450,000 repayable contribution to Terra Beata Farms to help the rural Nova Scotia cranberry producer reduce the cleaning, freezing and transportation costs associated with the processing of fresh berries and other Atlantic Canada fruits.
Bernadette Jordan, Member of Parliament for South Shore – St. Margarets, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).
Terra Beata Farms, based on Heckmans Island, near Lunenburg, will use the support to bring its fresh fruit receiving and cold storage in-house, by adding a facility in Sackville, N.B. and purchasing new cleaning and freezing equipment. By moving those tasks to the new facility instead of contracting them out, the company will reduce its carbon footprint and increase efficiency, productivity and overall competitiveness. This project will result in the creation of four year-round jobs and 20 seasonal jobs in New Brunswick, and help maintain 25 year-round jobs in Nova Scotia.
The repayable assistance is being provided through ACOA’s Business Development Program, which helps small and medium-sized enterprises expand and modernize to improve competitiveness. Additional funding is being provided by the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board.
Today’s investment builds on commitments made by the Government of Canada and the four Atlantic Provinces to drive economic growth in the region through the Atlantic Growth Strategy. The strategy supports strategic investments in projects that will spur value-added opportunities for resource-based industries such as the fisheries, forestry and agriculture to expand and diversify the economy.
Quotes
“Through the Atlantic Growth Strategy, we are building on Atlantic Canada’s competitive advantages, such as its strong export potential, its growing innovation network and its skilled workforce. When companies like Terra Beata Farms bring their innovative goods, services and ideas out to the world, they help create good jobs and wealth here at home.”
The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA
“By cleaning and storing fruits in one location, Terra Beata Farms will increase productivity and efficiency and lower costs, including transportation expenses, which will also reduce its carbon footprint. These improvements will help position the company for continued growth, for the development of additional markets overseas and for the ongoing contributions it makes to the area’s prosperity.”
Bernadette Jordan, Member of Parliament for South Shore – St. Margarets
“In 20 years, Terra Beata has grown from a patch of tree-covered land to a company processing five million pounds of fruit per year, selling to industrial customers around the world and competing against major brands at grocery stores across Canada. This assistance from ACOA will allow us to level-up for the next 20 years, increasing fruit processing capacity and constructing the most technologically advanced frozen storage space east of Ontario for our company, and also for use by other companies in Atlantic Canada, benefitting the whole region.”
- Evelyn Ernst, Co-owner, Terra Beata Farms Ltd.
Quick facts
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Terra Beata Farms began operating as a cranberry farm in 1999, expanding into a processing facility in 2005.
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The company has 12 acres of cranberries under production at its farm on Heckmans Island. This yields only a fraction of the five million pounds of fruit it processes annually. The rest of the fruit is sourced from farms in the three Maritime provinces and Quebec.
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The company produces and markets frozen cranberries, juice and dried fruit under the Terra Beata brand and cooked products under Cranberry Kitchen and private labels.
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Terra Beata exports about 90 per cent of its frozen cranberries internationally, to Europe, Asia and Australia among other locations.
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Contacts
Alex Smith Evelyn Ernst |
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