On June 7, 2023, Lassonde announced the closure of the Great Valley Juices plant in Port William, Nova Scotia with operations ceasing that day. Lassonde will continue to work with Nova Scotia growers to ship their apples to Rougemont, Québec for processing.

Production will continue in Québec and Ontario but the decline in Not-from-Concentrate (NFC) juice products and processing cost increases will impact the volumes processed by Lassonde from these provinces. Golden Town Apple Products will still purchase Ontario grounder juice apples. Juice apple negotiations between the Ontario Apple Growers and Lassonde will take place in late August.

This fall there will be weekly limits on the volumes of juice apples to be processed at the Thornbury, Ontario facility and the purchase of HP Storage apples will also be limited. Golden Town Apples is strongly encouraging growers to confirm appointments this fall in advance of picking their juice apples. Further questions can be directed to Jay Johnson at jay.johnson@lassonde.com or 902-680-6364.

Source:  Ontario Apple Growers July 21, 2023 newsletter