Flathead Cherry Growers Association announced they have a new partnership. President of the Flathead Lake Cherry Grower Cooperative Bruce Johnson says they will be leasing space in their warehouse so they can produce cherry juice.
“We have joined with a group called Tabletree Montana, it’s a new business, and they are going to put a juicing plant in our existing warehouse at Finley Point,” said Johnson. “That is where we take our cherries during the harvest time. We have some extra room in the warehouse and we are going to lease them space so they can make cherry juice there.”
According to Johnson, it is going to cost some money to make the space leasable for the incoming company.
“Our warehouse is big, but to make a space leasable for these folks to move in we are going to put in about $100,000,” Johnson said. “We got a grant through the State Department of Agriculture that is called a GTA grant, otherwise known as a growth through agriculture. They awarded us that grant and we matched that grant with a loan that we took out from one of our local banks.”
Johnson says the juice plant at Finley Point is scheduled to be operational by the 2016 harvest season.

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