Just more than five years after a farm set up shop on the site of a previous major employer, the community of Okanagan Falls is set to lose another as Avery Family Farms shuts down. Okanagan Falls director Matt Taylor shared the letter he received from owner Garry Peters with the community on Wednesday, Jan. 21, that as of Feb. 1 the vertical lettuce farm would cease operations.
"This decision reflects the financial constraints and critical equipment failures impacting our growing environment," Peters wrote. "While we remain proud of the product we have delivered, the team behind and the mission we set out to advance, continuing operations under the current structure is no longer financially viable."
It's a major blow to the community that had already weathered the exit of Weyerhauser's mill in 2007 and worked on recovering from that loss ever since.
"It's an economic blow to this community that is working hard to regain economic sustainability, and it's difficult for the employees who are losing work, and for the owners who have without a doubt put everything into making this a sustainable business that contributes to Okanagan Falls' future," Taylor said.
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