Prunings T he Okanagan Plant


Improvement Corporation has changed its name to Summerland Varieties Corporation. “When people hear Summerland, they know exactly who we are without the varieties portion,” said chief executive officer Keith Carlson. “Summerland is how we’re known around the world. PICO, an incorrect acronym, could be an Egyptian fruit company or a swear word in Chile. Summerland Varieties is a branding change for us. We are in the business of marketing varieties and this will help accelerate our new business model.” ‘Summerland’ which has been the corporation’s trade mark for 20 years will now be used as its brand. The new business model involves doing all the testing for the varieties developed at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre. In exchange for assuming the risks, the corporation will have a much better knowledge of an apple or a cherry from production to customer acceptance before it is released to growers. The corporation will also have its own supply. “You have to know how much you have in order to market better,” Carlson said. Expanding Summerland Varieties’ international scope is also on Carlson’s agenda. “I intend to make ourselves more visible in the world. We sell varieties so I want to partner with fruit businesses worldwide whose customers want our varieties...”


Still in Summerland, as Neal Carter


and Okanagan Specialty Fruits continue to await regulatory approval for the non-browning Arctic apple, more organized opposition has surfaced. In mid-May a group of B.C. retailers, including Choices Markets and Nature's Fare, announced they won't sell the genetically-modified apple. They were responding to a request from the Burnaby-based Health Action Network Society. “Our main concern is it hasn’t been tested,” said Michael Volker, HANS operations director.“We wanted this to be a positive campaign, so we didn’t publish the retailers who refused to sign (the pledge). Instead we published the stores that did sign.” Volker said. Of the 20 retailers, 17 are independent, one- location operations. Carter, who is petitioning the Canadian and U.S. governments for permission to plant and sell the cultivar, defends its safety and nutrition. “Arctic apples were


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developed to provide consumers a choice, and we are confident that consumers will purchase Arctic apples,” he said in a


May 15 interview.


“Arctic apples will decrease waste caused by superficial browning throughout the supply chain, including in consumers’ homes. Also


since Arctic apples will not need anti- oxidant treatments, fresh-cut apples will be available at a lower cost making more apples available in more places.” Volker said his organization is concerned because Arctic apples have not been tested as animal feed. He also pointed to opposition from the British Columbia Fruit Growers’ Association, which has asked the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to suspend consideration to allow propagation and sale of Arctic apples... This year’s Spring Okanagan Wine Festival was another success for the Okanagan Wine Festival Society,


JUDIE STEEVES


Using space formerly occupied by its brewery operation, Peller Estates has now opened the first ‘urban’ winery in the province for its premium brand of wines, Sandhill, headed up by master winemaker Howard Soon, in downtown Kelowna's north end.


with all but one of the signature events sold out, reports Blair Baldwin, general manager. He says a number of the smaller wineries are now working with some of the fourth-year business students at Okanagan College to help with event planning, and that’s been a real boon for their success during the festival. “The more wineries who become educated about event management, they more find they’re attracting more visitors to the cellar door. A good event should create loyal customers as well as make money,” he notes. However, Baldwin advises that it takes a different and innovative event to capture people’s imagination and it’s important it have a synergy with the winery’s brand. For instance, Dirty Laundry’s winefest event, the Rock and Troll Lobster Party, which advertised lobsters, wine and good times, was perfectly in line with its name and brand as a rollicking, fun winery that’s somewhat risque. “Maybe it was just another winemaster’s dinner, but it was done with a difference and that’s what people are attracted to,” he explains. Next up on the schedule is the second annual Mile High Wine Festival at Silver Star Mountain Aug. 8-10; then Viva Las Pride Aug. 14 at the Laurel Packinghouse in Kelowna, part of the Okanagan Pride Festival... In April at Gray Monk Estate Winery in Lake Country, MP Ron Cannan announced a $2 million investment from the Developing Innovative Agri-Products initiative for research into disease control , improved yields, water conservation and improving the overall environmental footprint of the grape and wine industries.Research at the PARC in Summerland, as well as work at the Wine Research Centre at UBC and at UBCO, will all benefit from the funding, which was presented to the B.C. Wine Grape Council. The funding builds on a previous $2 million grant to improve irrigation and nutrient management and achieve top vine and fruit quality, noted Cannan. Exports from the B.C. wine industry are nearly $8 million, an increase of more than $6 million in the past six years, he noted. “This work will have a positive impact on the quality of wine produced, as well as the profitability and sustainability of our industry,” said Mike Watson, chair of the BCWGC. The Growing Forward 2 program includes $3 billion for agricultural innovation...


British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Summer 2014


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