Delivering perfectly ripened pears into the hands of consumers is the aim of Kelowna-based company Consolidated Fruit Packers (CFP). It has received a $130,000 government grant from the provincial Agri-Innovation program, and will use this money to try solve a problem that hampers the timely delivery of fresh pears to grocery stores.
“This provides us with the opportunity to push the boundaries in agri-tech as we create a better eating experience for consumers with ready to eat, delicious local pears,” Gord Morrison of CFP says in a government release issued Sunday.
Unlike other fruits, pears do not ripen on the tree. They need time for sugars to develop off the branch, which makes it rare for locals to enjoy an Okanagan-grown pear, the Ministry of Agriculture has stated.
The company – which works with independent Valley farmers to also distribute cherries, blueberries, and apples to market – hopes to develop an optimal form of packaging for pears so the fruit is sweet and juicy when offered in local stores.
Consolidated Fruit Packers, based in the Landmark business centre, also received a $190,000 grant under the same program to buy a high-quality blueberry grading machine. The grants are among 12 projects to receive more than $1 million in funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a joint federal-provincial initiative.
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