Farming Karma, MSC, and cold storage steel buildings help ensure “every apple has a home” for local family farm
Farming Karma and MSC are working together on a steel building expansion that will help make sure “every apple has a home” by reducing waste for the orchard.
You may not think of agricultural steel buildings when you think of decades-old family farms or sustainability, but they are a key part of the bigger picture and an ambitious partnership between Kelowna’s Farming Karma Fruit Company and MSC.
An innovative agricultural venture, MSC is in the process of erecting an 84,000-square-foot custom steel building that includes a climate-controlled metal warehouse for the apple orchard, natural soda, and agri-tourism company that has been operating in Kelowna, BC, for over three decades.
A home for every apple
“We want every apple to have a home,” says Avi Gill, Farming Karma owner, CEO, and son of apple orchardists Karma and Kuku Gill, who started the company and have been farming in the Okanagan for over 30 years.
This expansion of the farm is part of bringing that vision to life.
“An average bin of apples is about 800 pounds, and up to 25% of that volume might be lost, and it goes to the dump due to cosmetic reasons,” Avi explains.
At Farming Karma, however, a large chunk of that 25% is able to be transformed into carbonated beverages, saving those apples from the bin and getting them back on grocery store shelves as natural sodas. This initiative is part of a larger sustainability goal for the farm.
In-house cold storage for sustainability
In the past, Farming Karma had to rely on outsourcing climate-controlled storage. Once this cold storage steel building project is complete, however, Farming Karma will be able to keep that storage in-house.
“That leads us more towards ‘every apple has a home’ and it's all under the roof of Farming Karma,” says Avi.
It’s all part of the Gill family's vision for becoming as sustainable a farming operation as possible.
“Becoming a one-stop shop to utilize sustainability is very important to us,” says Avi.
“That's the foundation that we're growing on as a responsible, sustainable company, and the new build really ties into our business by allowing us to do that to a greater degree.”
A new kind of soda
In 2020, Farming Karma launched its beverage line as a healthy alternative to the sugary sodas and juices available on the market.
Not only are the sodas a delicious and fun way to enjoy local fruit, but they are also an important part of Farming Karma’s sustainable future by reducing food waste.
Each soda is made only from Okanagan apples, cherries, and peaches, and never any ingredients from concentrate or added sugars. Guests can see the soda-making process with their own eyes with a view from Farming Karma’s tasting room.
Can’t make it out to the farm just yet? Check out this video that takes you through the process.
An investment in the future
While strong relationships in the local farming industry have been excellent in helping Farming Karma with cold storage and packing capabilities up to now, this expansion is integral to the farm’s commitment to sustainability.
With the volume of fruit that Farming Karma currently generates, being able to service those storage and packing needs in-house made the most sense for maximizing the output of their orchard.
“It’s a very important part of our next step to grow into what we envisioned,” Avi explains. “I hope that our investment can help us achieve the goals that we’ve set.”
Growing up fruit farming
Growing up on the family farm, Avi felt as if there was always room for him and his sibling to contribute.
“My brother and I grew up on an orchard our whole lives, so we’ve been accustomed to farming life for a while,” he says.
“The cool thing about a farming family culture is everybody has room to contribute. So even if we were young, my brother and I helped out as much as we could, and growing up in that kind of lifestyle was unique.”
Sometimes Avi would miss the neighbourhood feel he got from visiting his cousin's or friend’s houses as a child, but at the end of the day, he wouldn’t trade the farming upbringing for anything.
“It's just outdoors, and a lot of different things are happening all of the time.”
Avi’s path to owner and CEO of the family business wasn’t linear, however. He left home to study at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he remained for ten years.
He felt the draw to return after his father pitched the idea of carbonated fruit beverages.
“My wife and I decided to take on that challenge, and one thing led to another thing, and here we are.”
Today, the family is back together, working on the farm towards a common goal: sustainability.
Working with MSC
MSC has been extremely proud of our involvement with the Farming Karma project from the very first meetings about two years ago to the ongoing collaboration as the phases of the project have unfolded.
For Farming Karma, working with a responsive crew for this ambitious project has been key.
“The process has been great; MSC is an extremely professional company,” says Avi. “Everyone's done an awesome job and has always been in tune with what our needs are and pivoting where necessary. It's been a great experience so far.”
Farming Karma project details
The Farming Karma Fruit Company expansion is an exciting project that MSC is designing, supplying, and installing.
The 86,000-square-foot steel building project serves multiple purposes and includes:
- Climate-controlled food storage
- Insulated metal panels for the roof and walls
- Three large internal demising walls also complete with insulated metal panels
- Interior 24,000-square-foot mezzanine
- Custom deck/patio feature on two walls
- Custom roof loading to support coolers and mechanical units
- Snow stops on all eaves for roof/gutter protection
Temperature-regulated metal buildings
A key feature of the project is the inclusion of cold storage or atmosphere-controlled metal buildings. Climate-controlled metal warehouses are increasing in popularity because of their ability to:
- Regulate temperatures
- Reduce crop spoilage
- Maximize yield
For Farming Karma, cold storage will be a key player in helping the company achieve its sustainability goals. Stay tuned for more updates as the project reaches completion.
Metal Structure Concepts has been designing and constructing steel buildings across Canada for over 20 years. From retail spaces to warehouses to wineries and more, we are the experts for your next project. Contact us today for a free quote.