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WHAT THE FARMERS NEED NOW, IS JAM SWEET JAM...Mission City's active agricultural life paved the way for the development of a thriving industrial sector in the early half of the twentieth century.
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Glenbrook Creamery. Picture from December 1957 'Fraser Valley Record'.1920
Mission, BC
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The creameries and canneries that sprang forth were beneficial to all parties: farmers would have a market for their products as well as a safeguard against wasted surplus produce.4
Mission Cannery.1920
Mission, BC
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The factories created jobs for the townsfolk, and the exported goods helped bolster the town economy.6
Reindeer Brand Condensed Milk. Produced in Mission.1920
Mission Museum
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The quick growth of the dairy industry between 1900 and 1910 led to the formation of the Western Condensed Milk, Canning, Coffee and Creamery Company.The company made Rocky Mountain Condensed Milk, Standard Evaporated Cream and Hilt Edge Butter, but operations soon folded partly because there were not enough milk suppliers, and partly because the 1910 completion of the BC Electric Railway introduced competition from the south side of the river, a move that thwarted further growth in Mission City's blossoming dairy industry. From this point onwards, the processing industry would primarily focus on fruits and vegetables.
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Kootney Jam Factory.1915
Mission, BC
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Most of the growers associations had a plant in which they were able to store fruit before shipping. Some of the plants had their own processing divisions, such as the United Farmers' Co-Op. The UFC built a holding plant for berry storage, and they began jam-making operations during World War One. The increased market for jam in World War One paved the way for the opening of two new canneries: the Empress Company of Vancouver, which operated a plant just east of the Mission townsite, and the Kootenay Jam Company, which took up operations in the former Truro Condensed Milk factory by the railway bridge.10
Items produced in Mission: Jam, Condensed Milk, Cocoa, Prints,and Souvenir.1945
Mission Museum
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The Kootenay Jam factory was a local division of the Kootenay Company, which was headquartered in England.12
Harry Beech in his new car.1920
Mission, BC
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A year after the Kootenay plant opened, it was bought out jointly by Harry Beach and Mr. King.Harry Beach is seen here in his new car.
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King Beach factory.1920
Mission, BC
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