New agency changes B.C. greenhouse landscape
New agency changes B.C. greenhouse landscape
The B.C. Vegetable Marketing Commission has named a fourth agency to control a slice of the province's greenhouse vegetable pie.
Country Fresh Produce Inc., appointed on June 15, combines the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers grown by Houweling Nurseries Ltd. and South Alder Greenhouses Ltd. of Delta, and Topgro Greenhouses Ltd. of Langley, BC, under one distribution umbrella. The Country Fresh Produce agency will rely on The Oppenheimer Group in Vancouver as its sales, marketing and logistics partner.
In its oversight capacity of British Columbias greenhouse industry, the B.C. Vegetable Marketing Commission designates production and crop quota, and appoints and empowers agencies to distribute products grown in the lower mainland. Until the approval of the Country Fresh Produce agency was announced, three agencies determined the manner in which the regions greenhouse items entered the market. These agencies are BC Hot House Foods in Surrey plus Global Greenhouse Products Inc. and Greenhouse Grown Foods Inc., both in Delta.
The new agency aligns British Columbia growers representing over 2.7 million cases with Oppenheimer. "We anticipate that growers beyond the original three may join the Country Fresh Produce agency between now and January 2006 when this new arrangement goes into effect," said Mike Reed, Oppenheimers greenhouse category director.
Mr. Reed commented that the agency appointment gives Oppenheimer greater access to a strategic volume of British Columbia-grown greenhouse items and a comfortable footing within the lower mainland greenhouse community.
Oppenheimers greenhouse category staff worked closely with Houweling Nurseries, South Alder and Topgro in the Country Fresh Produce agency application process.
Together, we needed to demonstrate to the commission that a fourth agency would not adversely affect the provincial greenhouse industry, Mr. Reed said. Our presentation to the commission outlined Oppenheimers strengths, including in-market sales, transportation, quality control/food safety programs, product diversity and category management, as well as our five-year growth plan for the greenhouse items.
Peter Cummings, Houweling Nurseries chief financial officer, said that the new agency puts his company in better control of our marketing destiny.
We had the goal of integrating the marketing of our products grown in B.C. with those we produce at our facility in Oxnard, Mr. Cummings said. Weve marketed our Oxnard tomatoes through Oppenheimer for a while now, and with the new agency we can do the same with our full Canada-grown volume.
Country Fresh Produce Inc., appointed on June 15, combines the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers grown by Houweling Nurseries Ltd. and South Alder Greenhouses Ltd. of Delta, and Topgro Greenhouses Ltd. of Langley, BC, under one distribution umbrella. The Country Fresh Produce agency will rely on The Oppenheimer Group in Vancouver as its sales, marketing and logistics partner.
In its oversight capacity of British Columbias greenhouse industry, the B.C. Vegetable Marketing Commission designates production and crop quota, and appoints and empowers agencies to distribute products grown in the lower mainland. Until the approval of the Country Fresh Produce agency was announced, three agencies determined the manner in which the regions greenhouse items entered the market. These agencies are BC Hot House Foods in Surrey plus Global Greenhouse Products Inc. and Greenhouse Grown Foods Inc., both in Delta.
The new agency aligns British Columbia growers representing over 2.7 million cases with Oppenheimer. "We anticipate that growers beyond the original three may join the Country Fresh Produce agency between now and January 2006 when this new arrangement goes into effect," said Mike Reed, Oppenheimers greenhouse category director.
Mr. Reed commented that the agency appointment gives Oppenheimer greater access to a strategic volume of British Columbia-grown greenhouse items and a comfortable footing within the lower mainland greenhouse community.
Oppenheimers greenhouse category staff worked closely with Houweling Nurseries, South Alder and Topgro in the Country Fresh Produce agency application process.
Together, we needed to demonstrate to the commission that a fourth agency would not adversely affect the provincial greenhouse industry, Mr. Reed said. Our presentation to the commission outlined Oppenheimers strengths, including in-market sales, transportation, quality control/food safety programs, product diversity and category management, as well as our five-year growth plan for the greenhouse items.
Peter Cummings, Houweling Nurseries chief financial officer, said that the new agency puts his company in better control of our marketing destiny.
We had the goal of integrating the marketing of our products grown in B.C. with those we produce at our facility in Oxnard, Mr. Cummings said. Weve marketed our Oxnard tomatoes through Oppenheimer for a while now, and with the new agency we can do the same with our full Canada-grown volume.
