About Growers Cooperative Grape Juice, Inc.
A Farmer-Owned Cooperative Built for Commercial Food & Beverage Production
For nearly a century, Growers Co-op has supplied bulk grape and berry juices, concentrates, and purees to food and beverage manufacturers around the world. As a farmer-owned cooperative rooted in New York’s Lake Erie Grape Belt, we combine agricultural stewardship with industrial-scale processing, delivering consistent quality at commercial volumes.
Our success is built on long-term relationships — with our growers, our customers, and our global partners — grounded in integrity, fiscal responsibility, and a shared commitment to first-pass quality.
Our Story
A Cooperative Approach to Commercial Food & Beverage Production
Growers Cooperative Grape Juice, Inc. was founded on a simple but enduring idea: growers are strongest when they work together.
Established in 1929 by Concord grape growers in Western New York, the cooperative was formed to provide farmers with a reliable, sustainable outlet for their crops while ensuring customers received high-quality juice produced to exacting standards. That cooperative spirit continues to guide us today — now supported by modern processing capabilities and a global customer base.
Unlike privately held processors or brokers, Growers Co-op is owned by the farmers themselves. Our 70+ grower-owners collectively cultivate over 3,400 acres of grapes that are processed, packaged, and shipped as not-from-concentrate juice or concentrate.
This ownership model creates accountability at every step. Decisions are made with long-term viability in mind — not short-term gains — resulting in:
- Stable supply
- Consistent product quality
- Responsible pricing
- Strong reinvestment in facilities, people, and food safety systems
Growers Co-op is not a retail producer or specialty brand, but we supply many who depend on us for reliability, traceability, and repeatable results.
Our History
Trusted Supplier to the Food & Beverage Industry Since 1929
Growers Cooperative Grape Juice, Inc. is headquartered in Westfield, New York, in the heart of the Lake Erie Grape Belt — the oldest and largest Concord grape–growing region in the world.
Growers’ Co-op was incorporated in 1929, as Concord grape pricing was collapsing at the start of the Great Depression. Eleven farmers in the Lake Erie Grape Belt, seeking a better and more stable return for their farms, formed a cooperative corporation where growers themselves would own the processing plant.
Since 1929, farmer-owners have pooled their Concord grapes at Growers’ Co-op, transforming fruit into value-added juice and concentrate products and returning earnings directly to family farms.
Built on Concord. Expanded by Innovation.
In its first year, the co-op pressed 400 tons of Concord grapes into juice. Today, the facility presses more than double that volume in a single twelve-hour shift.
The plant stands on the site of the original 1929 facility, though it has been significantly expanded and modernized over the decades. Early production relied on rack and frame presses, redwood storage tanks built in 1949, and juice packed in five-gallon glass carboys.
Today’s facility features modern bulk storage tanks, screw presses, evaporators, and advanced decanter centrifuges — reflecting decades of strategic reinvestment in processing capacity, efficiency, and quality control.
As mechanical grape harvesters became common in the late 1960s, Growers shifted toward large-scale bulk juice and concentrate production. Storage expansions in 1968 and 1973, evaporator installations in the 1980s, upgraded pressing equipment in 1988, and centrifuge upgrades in 1993 and 2012 steadily increased throughput and operational capability.
From Seasonal Operation to Year-Round Processing
For much of its early history, Growers processed grapes for only a short seasonal window each year. By the early 2000s, the cooperative began contract processing during its off-season, initially working with cherries and blueberries.
Today, Growers processes cherries, blueberries, apples, Niagara grapes, Catawba grapes, and other non-citrus fruits in addition to Concord. The expansion into contract and toll processing allows the facility to operate year-round, supporting health food, nutraceutical, specialty beverage, wine, and commercial food manufacturers.
Today, Growers Co-op offers:
- Bulk single-strength and concentrate juices
- Custom grape juice blends produced to customer specifications
- Kosher and organic grape juice production, available upon request
- Full-service contract and toll processing for fresh or frozen fruit, including fruit purchased and processed on behalf of customers
- Nutrient-rich byproducts such as pressed berry pomace for downstream processing
Through more than 90 years of history, Growers remains the reliable home for its family farmer-owners and a trusted processing partner to the food and beverage industry.
Certifications & Compliance
Meeting the Standards Required for Commercial Food & Beverage Manufacturing
Growers Cooperative Grape Juice, Inc. operates to the rigorous food safety, quality, and regulatory standards required by today’s commercial food and beverage manufacturers.
Our certifications and programs include, but are not limited to:
- FDA registered facility
- HACCP-compliant processing
- SQF-certified food safety systems
- Kosher-certified production
- Organic-certified production (available upon request)
- Additional customer-specific and market-driven compliance requirements
Customers requiring documentation, audits, or verification as part of procurement or quality assurance processes can contact our Quality Supervisor at 716-326-3161, option 3.