Wyman expanding Deblois blueberry facilities

DEBLOIS – The state’s largest wild blueberry producer has embarked on a multimillion-dollar expansion of its harvesting, processing and storage facilities in rural Washington County, highlighting its strong commitment to Maine’s well-known fruit in uncertain economic times.

Jasper Wyman and Son hopes to have the upgrades – the biggest collective investment in the company’s history – completed by the end of June, President Ed Flanagan said.

The centerpiece of the construction is a large processing facility, along with two cold storage units that will add an estimated 50 seasonal jobs. To accommodate those temporary workers, Wyman and Son has plans for a dormitory-style housing facility for up to 110 people that will complement rows of cabins that already fill the Deblois site.

Flanagan declined to reveal the total investment by his company but said it exceeds the $8.4 million in tax-exempt, low-interest bonds provided by the Finance Authority of Maine for the project.

“The state really stepped up to the plate on this. I don’t think people realize how much [state leaders] do for Maine businesses,” he said.

Wyman and Son, which has been in business since 1874, employs about 120 full-time workers at offices in Milbridge, a manufacturing plant in Cherryfield, farm headquarters in Deblois and another processing facility on Prince Edward Island.

The majority of its blueberry lands are scattered throughout Washington County and the eastern Canadian provinces, but many acres are adjacent to the Deblois property where the recent expansion is under way.

As the blueberry industry transitions increasingly toward mechanical harvesting, Wyman and Son still employs as many as 400 seasonal workers during the six-week blueberry harvest in late July and August, most of whom live on site. Some Maine companies have had a difficult time finding workers, particularly amid the ongoing national debate over illegal immigration, but Flanagan said he usually doesn’t have problems filling seasonal slots.

“From everything I hear, this is the best work on the migrant tour, and we treat our seasonal employees well, so it’s common for them to come back each year,” he said.

If all goes well, Flanagan said, the expansion of the facilities in Deblois will not only help retain summer workers but streamline operations there, offering the potential for huge cost savings.

“Our sales and processing has been growing steadily over the last 10 years, but as we grew, we were contracting out most of our storage, some as far away as Boston,” he said. “That wasn’t very efficient.”

Wyman and Son owns approximately 26,000 acres in Maine and about 7,000 acres of that is blueberry land. Last November, the company purchased nearly 3,000 acres from former competitor Guptill Farms Inc., ending a lengthy battle for rights to the land. As much as one-third of that property could be harvested but the sale also included Guptill’s former processing plant and freezer in the Washington County town of Wesley. Wyman and Son also made several energy improvements in 2006, saving close to $60,000 in electricity costs annually.

Flanagan said his company, which has long been synonymous with Maine wild blueberries, is positioned well for the future and the decision to invest in Deblois was easy.

“We’re proud of the investments we’ve made so far, and we think these newest upgrades have the potential to provide a good return,” he said.

erussell@bangordailynews.net

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