When global beverage company Refresco told local grape growers they would no longer be buying their grapes in March, it sent shockwaves through the Lake Erie grape belt.
Some growers anticipate the contract termination could cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars. One farmer said he sold 100% of his grapes to the company and has since put a part of his farm up for sale, expecting to be $1.2 million in the hole.
While a long-term solution to the problem isn’t immediately clear, some local lawmakers are doing what they can to provide relief…