Ontario apple plant expands WITH LOCAL SUPPORT

摘要

Brian Gilroy, chair of Ontario Apple Growers, said high production costs—especially a minimum wage that's risen 50 percent since 2002, and currently sits at 9.50 dollar an hour—have made times tough for growers. What sets Algoma apart is the investment it's making in technology to cut labor costs. The new plant represents a capital investment of 15 million dollar Canadian (roughly U.S.13 million dollar) in land and construction, but the savings in labor costs will have an immediate benefit. "The key to any business activity is cost of production plus a reasonable profit, and for apple growers, it's been very challenging to make your cost of production," Gilroy said.