Global Fruit is a privately owned company based in Clarksburg, Ontario, dedicated to the innovation of apple production in Ontario. Global Fruit currently holds exclusive rights to grow the Red Prince apple in Canada.

The company was founded by a Dutch immigrant Hans Soer in 1998, when the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Apple Commission reported that the Ontario apple industry was in steady decline and had an uncertain future. At this time, Global Fruit was formed with the objective of rejuvenating the Ontario apple industry by producing sufficient quantities of high quality apples to satiate the market, thereby decreasing imported product.

In 2001, Irma and Marius Botden became co-owners of Global Fruit and together they implemented innovative technologies and management practices to increase apple quality, profitability and sustainability. Such innovations included high density orchards, precision planting guided by GPS, drip irrigation, eco sprayers and advanced pre-sorting and grading systems.

Global Fruit owns orchards located across Southern Ontario where they grow, amongst other varieties, the Red Prince, the Honey Crisp and the Ambrosia apple varieties. Having recently acquired 2,800 acres of fertile orchard land in Beaver Valley, Woodstock and Arkona, the company aims to plant 3.5 million trees over the next five years. Once a sufficient volume of apple production has been achieved, Global Fruit will market directly to large retail chains and to the export market.

In addition to revolutionizing the apple industry, Global Fruit is also committed to supporting youth causes in Ontario. As such, they have established non-profit organizations Friends of Ontario Grown Apples, to raise funds for “an apple a day program” for children in public schools and the Global Fruit Education Fund, designed to support talented students with the increase in education rates.

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For more information about Global Fruit, please visit www.globalfruit.ca or contact:

Andrea Karpala
Faye Clack Communications
Office: 905.206.0577 ext 233
akarpala@fayeclack.com

or

Jessica Squibb
Faye Clack Communications
Office: 905.206.0577 ext 245
jsquibb@fayeclack.com