Vineland Growers expands warehouse and storage distribution centre in Virgil

Canadian fruit producer Vineland Growers Co-operative has revealed the details about its newly expanded warehouse and storage distribution centre in Virgil, Ontario.

The new 30,000ft² warehouse and storage distribution expansion features 12 new shipping bays, 15,600ft² of new cold storage space with an advanced racking-system that allows product to flow through the facility in an efficient first-in, first-out manner.

Vineland Growers Co-operative general manager Mike Ecker said: "On any given day, this site will see 40,000 boxes of fruit flow through this facility."

Vineland Growers has been delivering large quantities of quality product to grocers that includes both organic and traditionally farmed product to fulfill the needs of current consumer demand.

Four out of eight cold storage compartments is equipped with a new feature called controlled atmosphere (CA) technology from Holland.

Vineland Growers operations manager Dave Lepp said: “The CA component actually controls the temperature and the amount of oxygen in the space; reducing oxygen levels to as low as 1% for maximum efficiency and quality.”

For more than a century, the co-operative has been working closely with its local farmer-members, and this expansion has enabled Vineland Growers to enhance its international business by receiving products from other countries, allowing the co-op to be operational 12 months a year.

Vineland Growers Co-operative director George Lepp said: "Our team not only managed a smooth transition during this time, but at the end of the day, we also managed to come in under budget."