Food Processing Kitchen

In 2017, GVOFC installed a black water sewage system in order to enable the future installation of a functional and licensed on-site kitchen. This will enable the processing of organic food produced on the farm by farm business tenants. In addition to some minor upgrades to lighting, food contact surfaces and minor appliances, this will bring our farm kitchen into compliance with Fraser Health requirements to obtain a license to conduct on-farm food processing of produce grown on the farm.

Our two farm businesses (and co-op members), Close to Home Organics and Earth Apple Farm, are full partners in this project, contributing financially and in-kind to project management and are developing production plans to make use of the kitchen facilities.

In all, this project will help reduce waste of produce that cannot be sold fresh, increase the availability of local products to local consumers, and diversify and increase the farm business’ viability through better profit margins. In addition, the space will allow the farm to conduct food processing workshops for the local community and offer commercial kitchen space to other local farms.

Overall, this project supports our community service cooperative’s mission to preserve and steward organic farmland to support farmers in growing quality local food for local communities by increasing the farmers’ capacity to preserve their products and increase their revenues through value-added product lines. This, in turn, services the local community by providing better access to a more diverse range of local products.

GVOFC gratefully acknowledges funds received from Vancity’s Enviro Fund for this project.