OROVILLE — The construction of a $1.58 million large new shade awning is underway at Pacific Coast Producers.
“The new awning is an extension of the current awning and will double our capacity to store more of the fruit we receive in the shade,” said Paul Fairbanks, plant manager.
When complete, the new awning will be 100 feet wide by 173 feet long and 28 feet tall and serve as a shaded staging area for the fresh fruit, particularly pears, when they are delivered and before they go into the plant for canning. During peak season, which is early July through mid-October, the plant stores 1,000 tons of fruit at any given time.
“Sun can degrade the overall quality of the pears,” said Fairbanks. “Being able to keep them shaded will improve overall quality of fruit we can.”
Construction of the metal structure is being done by X3 Construction out of Cottonwood. Oroville-based Reynoso Brothers Construction Inc. did the reinforced concrete for the 13 columns that hold up the large awning.
“Special footings had to be done for each support column,” said Fairbanks. “They are 4 feet in diameter and 8 to 15 deep in the ground. The pillars are massive and we had to make sure the awning would be safe and last a long time.”
Construction on the project started in April and will be complete by July 1.
The Oroville plant, one of three owned by the company, was built for Hearst Canning in the 1900s. It was later sold to Stokely Van Camp who then sold the operation to Pacific Coast Producers in 1971. Since then the tomato and fruit canning company has made many improvements to the facility. The last one was in 2010 when a cold fill line was added for filling 4-ounce fruit bowls.
The Oroville plant cans California-grown pears, peaches, grapes and fruit cocktail employing about 1,000 people during peak processing season.
Related Articles
Merging finances long after marriage? Here’s how to start
Chico Chai marks 20 years of ‘magic’ | It’s Your Business
Moving back home to save for a house: How to make it work
Travel junk fees are a virus with no easy fix
Why Millennial and Gen Z couples aren’t putting all their money in joint bank accounts
+ There are no comments
Add yours