Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Introducing new products to international markets can be a daunting task, to which many food processors in Saskatchewan can attest.
Keeler’s Prairie Berries, owned by Sandy and Ken Purdy, has been working at it for some time, and is making progress in introducing new products to international markets.
The difference between niche market processing and commercial scale production is the volumes required by the end markets, Sandy Purdy explains. “This is generally achieved through technological advances, formulations, end user specifications, and the ability to make adjustments to the product during the process.”
Purdy’s company is currently benefiting from the Agri-Value Program, a research investment program targeted to value added processes. Prairie Berries is working with the POS Pilot Plant in Saskatoon to upscale processes for their puree and concentrate.
“It is programs such as the Agri-Value Program that allow us to test different systems and examine how we could match end user specifications to large production runs,” Purdy says. “Once we can achieve the volume and reach the end user specifications, we can move forward with our German importer to position saskatoon berry products into their marketplace.”
“For example, on our own, we could only extract about 55 per cent of the total weight of the berry. We are now looking at extracting much more, perhaps as much as 85 per cent of the weight of the fruit, which makes the process more cost effective, and therefore more competitive when dealing in the ingredient market.”
Sandy Purdy is clearly optimistic about the future, because Saskatchewan producers have proven they can grow saskatoons consistently, which is important in guaranteeing the volume required to enter overseas markets. She believes that, by working with other producers and processors, they will benefit in the long term by the market opportunities.
“This is very exciting. The $6.5 million research and development investment in Saskatoon berries made by the federal and provincial governments, though programs such as the Agri-Food Innovation Fund, the Agriculture Development Fund, and the Agri-Value Program, brings us closer to reaping the rewards of industry development,” says Purdy.
“Much credit for the development of the saskatoon berry industry goes to the foresight of individuals in the industry, and to government, for supporting and believing in the value of this authentic Saskatchewan product. Because of their vision early on, now the sky is the limit for the saskatoon berry industry,” she concludes.
Further information for the Agri-Value project “Commercializing the process of concentrate and puree,” #20050011, may be obtained by phoning the Agriculture Research Branch at (306) 787-5929 in Regina.
For more information, contact:
Sandy Purdy
Prairie Berries
(306) 788-2018
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