A John Deere Publication
Byron Kemp, Peter Simonsen, Kirk Kemp and Eric Biddiscombe shared a celebratory glass of cider when word came through that the Algoma Orchard-led group's bid for the major assets of BC Tree Fruits had been accepted.
Agriculture, Specialty/Niche April 01, 2026
We're Back!
Orchard gives storied BC Tree Fruits brand a new lease on life.
Story and Photos by Lorne McClinton
Shockwaves rolled through British Columbia's Okanagan Valley apple community in July 2024 when the board of the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative abruptly announced that they were ceasing operations. The final tipping point was the severe reduction in crop volume that year. A brutal cold snap in January 2024 destroyed nearly all the region's stone fruit and severely damaged the cherry and apple crops. The organization subsequently filed for creditor protection and started liquidating its assets in August.
"Calling the reaction in the local industry a shock is kind of an understatement," says Peter Simonsen, President of BC Fruit Growers Association in Naramata, British Columbia. "But I don't know if there's a stronger word. It certainly rattled everyone! BC Tree Fruits always seemed to be the packer that held prices at a certain level, so when they ceased operations, it caused chaos in the market for the 2024 crop. Fortunately, there was such a small apple crop due to all the weather incidents, the impact wasn't as bad as it could have been."
After 90 years of operations, it looked like one of Canada's oldest and most recognizable fresh fruit labels had reached the end of the line. But sometimes institutions, like people, get a second chance. To the great relief of fruit growers across the region, BC Tree Fruits label got a last-minute reprieve. In July 2025 the courts approved a bid by a group of investors including Algoma Orchards, Canada's largest orchard and a major packer based in Newcastle, Ontario; Penticton, BC-based Wildstone Construction; and local investors to purchase its major assets. These included its recently completed, state-of-the-art packing facility in Oliver, BC, and its iconic logo, "The Leaf."
"We'd heard that BC Tree Fruits had ceased operations and were liquidating," says Algoma Orchard's president Kirk Kemp. "We have the same line of apple packing equipment. So, our initial thought was to buy their line of equipment, take it down and move it to Ontario."
But instead of just finding a good deal on state-of-the-art equipment, Kemp found an opportunity. After having lots of conversations with people that had been working there, and seeing all the turmoil the plant's closure had caused in the region's apple industry, they started to discuss putting a bid in on the building and expanding into BC.
"We thought here's an opportunity to spread our base and to actually help the industry here that was left reeling when it shut down," Kemp says. "The buyers are the same as they are back home, they want more continuity of supply, and they want to buy local. Also, I've gotten to know quite a few growers out here over the last 30, 40 years at meetings and conferences and I know how devastating this has been for them, that's why we're here."
Above. This included the new state-of-the-art packing facility in Oliver, BC, and its iconic logo, "The Leaf." Kemp and his team made many trips to the Okanagan to talk to the valley's apple growers and offer reassurance that they believe the region's apple industry has a bright future. They're planning to be around for decades.
A surprise call. Kemp, along with his sons Eric and Byron, were still debating how to proceed when Kemp got a call from Jim Morrison, the CEO of the Wildstone Construction Group out of the blue. He'd heard that Algoma Orchards was interested in possibly expanding to BC and wanted to know if they could somehow work together to help ease the turmoil in the Okanagan orchard industry.
"I flew out a day or two later with our plant operations manager, met with the Wildstone guys, and toured the plants," Kemp says. "We spent six hours touring the Oliver facility with people who'd worked here. Then his [Morrison's] son Mark came out to Ontario to see our operation and get to know us. The Wildstone Group have a genuine interest in revitalizing the orchard industry here, and so do we."
"Anyone could have come in and bought it and moved the equipment away," Simonsen says. "People needed a lot of reassurance after it was announced that it had sold. Having the ownership and marketing people come out to BC to meet with growers again and again has gone a long way towards doing that."
"We met with growers every time we came out," Kemp says. "We'd usually fly out on Tuesday mornings and fly home on Friday mornings. In between we'd have a busy three days of meetings with growers in Kelowna, Penticton, Ossoyoos, and at farms."
Kemp says their goal is to build relationships and offer reassurance that they're not here for a short time, they're planning to be around for decades.
"A lot of growers are starting to give us crop estimates and commitments," Kemp says. "We're getting way more fruit than we thought we would."
"I expect that Algoma will be an industry leader in BC," Simonsen says. "I'm hoping it's a step towards an apple renaissance in the Okanagan Valley because there's probably no better place in North America to grow apples."
"I tell growers again and again that I'll rate this decision as being successful if there are more apples growing in the valley 10 years from now," Kemp says. "There's a lot of upside potential today, because there are nowhere near enough apples grown in the valley to supply the market." ‡
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