SPRING VALLEY, P.E.I. – An Island vegetable producer received almost a quarter-million dollars in federal funding Friday to help diversify its products and increase efficiency.
Atlantic Grown Organics Ltd. received a repayable contribution of $238,007 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to expand its Spring Valley facilities and to purchase automated grading and packaging equipment.
“The growing consumer desire for organic vegetables enabled our business to grow and this investment will help us keep up with those demands,” said the company’s owners, Marc and Krista Schurman, in a news release.
“This equipment will help support our employees and allow us to select exactly the tomato or pepper that our customer wants.”
The Schurman family has operated a family farm since the 1970s, transitioning in 2001 from a hog-focused operation to growing greenhouse produce.
Atlantic Grown Organics’ vegetables can be found throughout the year at the Schurman farm stand in Kensington and at the Charlottetown Farmers Market. Their tomatoes and cucumbers are also available at Sobeys and Atlantic Superstores.
Atlantic Grown Organics was certified organic in 2006.
