Modern blueberry processing plant opens 1 year ahead of schedule
From the CBC
The grand opening of Acadian Wild Blueberry Co.’s processing plant was held in Saint-Isidore on Tuesday, July 19, a full year ahead of the expected opening date. The push to open sooner was to meet the demand for increased processing capacity from local blueberry growers, said John Bragg, president and co-CEO of the parent company, Oxford Frozen Foods.
The company currently employs 70 full-time workers and more than 200 seasonal workers. More jobs are expected to be created as more land comes into production over the next several years.
The plant is considered to be the most modern blueberry processing facility in the world. It will have two freezing tunnels that can process up to 1.5 million pounds of fresh blueberries per day during the harvest season. The cold storage can hold 45 million pounds of product.
More than 300 farm families are currently involved in New Brunswick’s wild blueberry industry. Blueberry production provides about 360 full-time jobs and about $11 million in labour income, according to the government.