End of
line
the
More than half of
the 81 employees
who will be
affected by
cessation of
packing
operations at the
Summerland plant
work as sorters or
on the tray line.
Here, workers on
the sorting line
wait for another
batch of apples.
C
SUSAN McIVER
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use leaves uncertainty
By Susan McIver
A
n important chapter in the history of the tree fruit
previously worked at other packinghouses.
Marques is among a number of Summerland employees who
industry in Summerland will end with closure of the
Jubilee Road packinghouse.
also concerned about the potential long-term effect of the plant
Crumback and many of his fellow Summerland growers are
closure on shipping and receiving services.
announced that packing operations would cease with this year’s
In early fall, the Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative
harvest, although the plant will continue to be used as a storage
time and money. There is a big difference between trucking
“Shipping our fruit to the Penticton plant would cost growers
facility for the coming year.
fruit for 10 minutes on rural roads and doing so for 30 minutes
along a major highway,” Crumback said.
grandmother all worked at the plant for many years.
Summerland orchardist Doug Crumback’s mother, aunt and
prefer to transport their fruit themselves.
A contract service is available in the area, but most growers
dollars, but I feel bad for the employees, especially those who
“I understand cutting costs so co-op members receive more
have been there a long time and for single mothers,” said
value-added operation can be established at the plant.
Crumback is hoping some type of fruit-related
Crumback.
mural depicting the history of fruit-growing and packing in
Many local residents are concerned about the fate of the
closure announcement. More than half of them work as sorters
Many employees were moved to tears when they heard the
Summerland on an exterior wall of the packinghouse.
or on the tray line.
auspices of the Community Cultural Development Committee
The mural was completed several years ago under the
facilities are issues the co-operative will work out in the coming
The transition of employees and production shifts to other
and paid for with public funds.
months.
L
equipment, nor Carol Sommers, tray-line lead hand for the day
Neither Art Greenough, lead hand on the electronic sizing tree fruit industry.
Summerland has played a significant role in the Okanagan
OTS OF HISTORY
shift, have decided whether to accept an offer to relocate should
such an opportunity be presented to them.
in the valley, and by the 1920s tree fruit packinghouses had
In 1897, James Gartrell planted the first commercial orchard
became part of Summerland’s history.
service at the Summerland packinghouse.
Greenough and Sommers each have more than 30 years of
Summerland Co-operative Growers Association and opened on
The current packinghouse on Jubilee Road was built by the
welcome the opportunity to relocate.
However, with 18 years of service, Cathy Seminoff would June 23, 1958.
Naramata packinghouse for 31 years before being transferred
“I feel very bad,” said Linda Marques, who worked at the packing house on the lakeshore.
The previous year a fire had destroyed the co-operative’s
to Summerland last spring, after the former was closed by the
8
co-op.
lakeshore, where fruit was picked up by boat to be taken to the
Historically, packinghouses in the valley were built on the
railhead at Kelowna. The only remaining lakefront
British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2009-10
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