Following a review of its manufacturing footprint, Lassonde is transitioning certain operations at its Kelowna facility, specifically beverage packaging, to other facilities within its Canadian network, including Calgary, Toronto and Rougemont. Approximately 80 employees will be impacted by this decision. The transition will take place in phases through December 2026.
The Kelowna facility will remain operational, with apple processing and snack production continuing. Approximately 135 employees will remain at the site across production, warehousing and business support function
The BC Fruit Growers' Association (BCFGA) is deeply concerned by the decision of Lassonde Industries to end Sun-Rype’s beverage packing operations at its Kelowna facility — the same plant that the association helped found in 1946 as BC Fruit Processing Ltd. to capture value from Okanagan-grown fruit.
“We acknowledge that apple processing and snack production will continue, retaining approximately135 jobs at the site,” says Deep Brar, president, BCFGA. “However, the relocation of juice packing operations to facilities in Alberta, Ontario and Québec represents a potential significant loss of local processing capacity — and raises serious questions about the long-term outlet security for BC tree fruit growers.
Without sufficient local juicing capacity, process-grade fruit that would otherwise have moved through these channels now has limited alternatives. In the near term, that could mean increased volumes directed to lower-value uses — or worse, landfill.
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