B.C. Tree Fruits brand to live on after construction group buys intellectual property

Yet another iconic Canadian brand will live on, as a company based in Penticton, B.C. has announced the purchase of B.C. Tree Fruits logo and trademarks.

The news comes the same week that Canadian Tire publicized its intention to purchase Hudson's Bay's stripes and logo for $30 million.

Though not as big, the $23 million deal in British Columbia sees the sale of several assets that had belonged to B.C. Tree Fruits to the Wildstone Capital and the Wildstone Group of Companies, better known as Wildstone Construction. The assets include equipment, real estate and the green leaf logo that has adorned fruit packaging and apple stickers for decades as a sign of quality local food.

"This marks a significant milestone for growers and the agricultural community across the Okanagan Valley and the province at large," Wildstone CEO Mark Melissen said in a release.

B.C. Tree Fruits was founded as a co-operative in 1936 and over the decades it grew to represent more than 230 farming families and included a grower supply company, a fresh fruit market in Kelowna and, in 2014, a craft cider company branded with the B.C. Tree Fruits logo. 

But last year the co-operative dissolved, citing "extremely low estimated fruit volumes, weather effects and difficult market and financial conditions." 

Assets belonging to the co-op have been sold off, including one of its main cold storage facilities, which was purchased by a pharmaceuticals group.

Wildstone says it is partnering with Ontario-based Algoma Orchards to renew B.C. Tree Fruits in the weeks ahead, taking fruit grown by local farmers at its Oliver, packing plant and reviving operations at receiving facilities in Summerland and Keremeos, as well.

"It's an honour to help restore strength and stability for farming families in the Okanagan, many of whom faced uncertainty when B.C. Tree Fruits announced it would be winding down," Melissen said in the release.