No bad apples after 50 years

BY SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

A few mentions of dark periods, fires and industry restructuring were overshadowed by camaraderie and an outdoor BBQ celebrating Scotian Gold’s 50th anniversary.

The Valley apple co-op invited fruitgrowers and their families, staff past and present and friends of the company to a picnic outside the Coldbrook plant July 5.

“You fellows get the point,” said board chairman and president Michael Oulton. “We’re going in the right direction.

“Our road has not always been smooth but, in the past 20 years, the success of Scotian Gold has assured the future of many Valley farms for the next generation.”

Generation to generation shows up a lot in Scotian Gold’s biography.

In 1957, it took over the assets of the United Fruit Companies of Nova Scotia Limited, founded in 1912 to handle Valley growers’ fruit shipments by rail around the province, region and overseas. After the Second World War, though, the “golden age” looked to be ending. Old orchards and equipment here and market loss around the world put Valley farmers on shaky ground.

General manager and chief executive officer David Cudmore told the crowd, though, 1957 started a turnaround - one of several in Scotian Gold’s history.

The co-op formed and took on the UFC assets - apple processors in Middleton and Aylesford, cold storage in Middleton, Coldbrook and Canning, a Massey Ferguson dealership in Kentville, a farm market in Kentville. Scotian Gold added more processing, and Cudmore said became known across Canada for juice, jams, honey, fresh fruit and apple sauce.

Things went relatively well until fire in 1981 burned the Coldbrook plant to the ground.

“We restructured, but we never did get all the way back,” Cudmore said. “The company downsized and sold the processing plant, beginning another period of rebuilding in the late ‘80s.”

The focus then: fresh fruit. Eleven years after the fire, a new cold storage unit was built. In 2000, the plant was repurchased. More cold storage was added - a unit in 2005, and a new one set to be ready for this fall’s harvest.

“In 1991, we had storage for 24,000 bins. In 2007, it was 48,200 bins,” Cudmore said. “This coming season, we’ll handle 50,000 bins of product.

“We’re thankful for many growers and staff over the years, here today to celebrate this milestone. They’ve directed us forward.”



SIDEBAR:

Headline: The best apples

The co-op designed a Crystal Apple Award for the anniversary, and presented them to recognize significant contributions to Scotian Gold over the years.

• Murdock MacLeod of Wolfville started with UFC and served on the first Scotian Gold management team, staying as treasurer until 1980.

• Jack Balsor of Kentville worked summers part-time with UFC, working up to full-time sales manager as Scotian Gold formed. He went on to work at times as purchasing, production, operations, cold storage and market manager until 1993.

• George Moody and George Archibald, former Kings County MLAs, were recognized for support through the dark 1980s and reorganization in 1989.

• Vaughn Nichols farmed in Morristown since 1951, taking over from father Stuart in both the orchards and with Scotian Gold board involvement, also running a trucking business for the co-op’s fruit and fertilizer. Three children are all apple farmers.

• Lawrence Spurr of Melvern Square, a third-generation farmer and father of two further apple-growing generations, was and is Scotian Gold’s largest volume grower.

• Fred Walsh of Rockland was an associate director with UFC, a director several times on Scotian Gold’s board and an apple grower himself. Two sons continue to support Scotian Gold.

• Ken Sanford of Coldbrook started Ravenswood Farms in 1967, bringing valuable entomologist knowledge to practical farm operations and joining the Scotian Gold board in 1989 as a strong supporter of the company.

• Allister Marshall of Woodville was presented a posthumous Crystal Apple. Marshall began shipping apples to Scotian Gold in 1962, was an associate director in 1963 and full director in 1966 - and every year but one up to his death in 2005. He also served as chairman for six years over two terms.