In the interior of British Columbia, Canada, lies the long fertile Okanagan Valley - home of the head offices of B.C. Tree Fruits Limited. Fruit has been grown in the Okanagan since the mid-1800s. Valley orchardists first tried co-op marketing for their fruit in 1893, but promoting and transporting fruit remained a difficult task.
In 1936, B.C. Tree Fruits Ltd. was formed as a central marketing agency for the region's tree fruit. Ever since we began, we've focused on promoting, packaging, and transporting B.C. Brand fresh fruits. Today, we market a wide variety of produce all over the world.
Packaging
Once fruit arrives at the packing house, swift handling maintains its quality and freshness. B.C. Tree Fruits offers a wide variety of packaging: cartons, bags, baskets, and plastic clamshells - a far cry from the hand-packed, tissue-wrapped pieces of fruit used until the 1980s.
Transportation
Transportation has evolved. Barges on the lake and railway cars packed with ice have given way to today's temperature and humidity controlled carriers. And the availability of CA storage, which we began testing in the mid-1950s, allows consumers to enjoy tree fresh produce all year round.
Then and now...
The appearance of Okanagan orchards has changed radically since 1936. Sprinkler irrigation has replaced ditches. And since the 1990s, automated weather stations have helped farmers irrigate more efficiently.
The landscape has been transformed in other ways too. Early apple orchards had 200-250 trees per acre. Today's orchards use dwarf root stocks on super-spindle plantings and average 1200-1500. Plus, they have the bonus of higher quality fruit due to increased light exposure.
It's true... the tree fruit industry has seen many changes. But something that won't change is our commitment to deliver the highest quality fruit. Quality you can count on any time you see the B.C. Brand.
