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Collaborating to increase Ont. peach values

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Collaborating to increase
Ont. peach values
The Value Chain Management Centre recently released a case study
detailing what can be achieved when producers, marketers, and a retailer work
together to increase consumers’ satisfaction with Ontario peaches.

May 30, 2011, Guelph,
Ont – The Value Chain Management Centre recently released a case study
detailing what can be achieved when producers, marketers, and a retailer work
together to increase consumers’ satisfaction with Ontario peaches.

The results of this and
related studies will enable Ontario’s fruit industry to capture greater value
through improving management practices along the entire value chain.

Involving two peach
producers (George Lepp and Chris Andrewes), Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.,
a national retailer, and the Value Chain Management Centre, the purpose of the
project was to test the effectiveness of new growing practices for improving
attributes which research identified as positively impacting consumers’
perceptions of quality and value. The expectation was that this would offer new
markets and increase target consumers’ willingness to pay.

“Changing some orchard
practices has enabled peach farmers in Ontario to increase colour, size and
enhance the already excellent eating appeal of our fruit,” said Michael Ecker,
president of Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd. in Jordan Station, Ont. “The
working relationships have been very positive, and the data collected
throughout the entire value chain shows some very promising trends for the
industry. Vineland Growers Co-operative and our farmer owners are looking
forward to expanding the project this year to include nectarines.”

The Value Chain
Management Centre is a Canadian organization dedicated to researching value
chain issues and opportunities, and assisting businesses in implementing value
chain initiatives. It is a subsidiary of the George Morris Centre.

The case study is
available at www.valuechains.ca.