The City of Pitt Meadows is moving forward with plans to turn its massive blueberry and cranberry harvests into stable local jobs by expanding food processing capabilities and farm tourism, following a regional agriculture roundtable on April 22, 2025.
With roughly 78 per cent of its land designated for agriculture, the city is a heavyweight in British Columbia’s berry industry. According to the City of Pitt Meadows, local growers contribute about 20 per cent of the province’s total blueberry production, with recent council discussions estimating the annual haul at 25 to 30 million pounds.
City officials want to ensure more of that fruit is processed locally rather than being shipped away raw. The goal is to encourage the production of “value-added” goods like jams, purees, juice concentrates, and dried powders. This approach aims to smooth out the financial peaks and valleys that growers face by creating consistent demand for their crops.
Pitt Meadows already has a head start with established companies like Meadow Berry Farms and Golden Eagle, which operate local packing and freezing facilities. Planners are looking at models to expand this capacity, such as creating a shared processing incubator for small-batch products or coordinating mobile freezing units during the harvest rush.
Tourism is the second pillar of the plan. The city is working with Scenic Route 7 to market local farms as destinations, hoping to draw visitors who want to buy directly from the source.
The strategy isn’t without hurdles. Building new processing plants requires significant capital and must navigate strict food safety approvals and Agricultural Land Reserve zoning rules. However, by collaborating with neighboring municipalities like Maple Ridge and Abbotsford, local leaders aim to solve the logistical challenges of cold storage and labour to keep more agricultural revenue within the community.
