In support of a viable food & agriculture economy, Fields Forward is creating the Food Venture Collaborative (FVC). The FVC is an enterprise-driven value-adding social benefit project for communities from Yahk to Yaqan Nukiy to Riondel.

The first phase of the FVC is the mobile juice press and cherry juice enterprise.

The mobile press is a single unit that can process, pasteurize, and package 900 litres of apple, pear, carrot, beet, cherry, or berry juice per hour, or up to 20,000 lb. of fruit daily. The juice is packaged into boxed bags (like wine bags) and is shelf stable for one year. The equipment in consideration is an assembly of industrial scale machines.

The service costs $0.73/litre + the cost of packaging (for the average price of $5.50/5 litres) and can be retailed for $15/5 litres conventional or $25/5 litres organic.

The mobile press will either use cherry culls from local packing houses (6,000 lb./day currently go to the landfill) for its own juice product The service can also be provided to orchardists, community groups, and anyone else interested in producing their own juice.

Creston & District Mobile Fruit & Vegetable Press Phase 1: Food Venture Collaborative - a Fields Forward Initiative

Targets for Year One of operation: • 372,000 lb. of fruit will be pressed;• 99,371 litres of juice produced;• $250,000 direct local economic investment;• 252,000 pounds of culls from the landfill

diverted;• 6 new direct jobs created;• Income stabilized and value added for

producers; and• Contribute to the region’s annual food

need through schools & community groups.

An investment in a mobile press enterprise in Creston & District will have multiple long lasting economic, social, environmental

and cultural benefits.

Phase 1 is the acquisition of a mobile fruit press and the development of a local brand and juice product. The press will also be used by producers and food security groups throughout the Regional District of Central Kootenay. The by-product will be sold as livestock feed to local farmers and the cherry pits can be used in different products such as fuel for pellet stoves.

Beginning in June 2016, Fields Forward has carried out thorough business planning for this Phase, as well as for the broader infrastructure development initiative. This has been supported by the BC Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Outreach Initiative. We have also received support through the Growing Forward 2 - Market Development Preparedness Program for related market development (domestic and export), branding, and marketing.

With support to make initial capital purchases and to help cover human resources and training costs in the first year of operation, our planning indicates that operating the mobile juice press will be financially viable by Year Two and will realize profit from Year Three.

The mobile fruit and vegetable press will, offering a low cost service to producers to create opportunities that increase the value of their product and capture new seasonally expansive markets. The press will support individual farm businesses to create products that use low-marketable fruit. Because of the high profit margins on each box of juice (conventional = $9.50/5 litres box and organic $19.00/5 litres box), at least one local orchardist is considering converting to organic production to further increase value.

Add Value

Product and Business Viability

Fields Forward is committed to creating meaningful employment opportunities. Six new permanent seasonal jobs will be created through this enterprise. The jobs include the press operators and a Food Venture Collaborative project manager who would manage the press and support the development of the FVC.

Waste Stream Reduction

In one season, from one packing house, the mobile fruit and vegetable press will redirect 252,000 lb. of what is currently sent to the Creston Landfill into juice and animal feed. This approach uses an integrated resource cycling model that expands the use of inputs and in turn creates increased local opportunity and value. The 62,000 litres of cherry produced from this waste product will generate an income stream to further finance agri-food driven development in the region. The remaining mash will produce 1500 lb./day of animal feed for local producers. In addition, the bag-in-box packaging is 100% recyclable, the bulk format cuts back on consumer waste, and is eight times more efficient than comparable glass containers.

Employment & Job Creation

The mobile fruit and vegetable press is investing in a viable and diversified product line within the framework of a larger collaborative food processing business - the Food Venture Collaborative. By developing a juice product (and at later stages, other juice/pulp products: vinegar, soups, alcohol, sauces, blended beverages, purees, and pellet stove fuels) this sector can realize sales in non-harvest months, thereby flattening the sales cycle, reducing risk, and improving overall viability.