Refresco in Dunkirk, a major processor for grape farmers, has canceled contracts for this year.

Grape growers across the Lake Erie region are being left in a bind as Refresco, a major processor for many farmers, announced through letters this week that they are cancelling all of their contracts with grape growers.

Refresco is one of the processors for many in the local Lake Erie region, buying from 126 growers and 2,600 acres of grapes in both New York and Pennsylvania. Andrew Holden, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Lake Erie Regional Grape Program’s Business Management Specialist, said Refresco bought grapes to turn into different products such as beverages.

“Refresco sent letters out to let growers know they will no longer be processing grapes,” Holden said. “Our office here is working with growers to help them figure out the best decisions for their farms moving forward.”

The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program serves both New York and Pennsylvania through contracts with Cornell University and Penn-State University. Jennifer Phillips Russo, Cornell Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Team Leader and Viticulture Specialist, said the organization brings local experience and research-based solutions together to provide projects aimed at increasing yields, product quality, diversity and improvement of cultivars, efficiency of production, profitability and adoption of environmentally sound cultural and pest management strategies. She added that they are committed to working with stakeholders to assist them through this process to the best of their abilities. Holden added to that, saying they serve about 30,000 acres in the region and are primarily educational.

Another Lake Erie Regional Grape Program team member, Megan Luke, Viticulture Specialist, also represented the organization in Pennsylvania on Tuesday at a meeting, also speaking with YourErie.com on the situation.

“Without these contracts, without folks being able to justify staying in grape production, it could have cascading effects within the community,” Luke said in an article on the website. “It could drag down property values, it could reduce the number of jobs in the area.”

Looking toward an increasingly uncertain future has been a focus for LERGP since post-harvest 2025 when Russo said their industry processor group, growers, NY Farm Bureau representatives and research colleagues held a meeting with the Director of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation Industry president, Sam Filler. At the meeting they discussed the structural challenges facing the Concord and Niagara juice sector and the need of a coordinated, data-driven strategic framework moving forward, also mobilizing to address the downturn of the grape industry and how to plan for the future.

Holden added the market for grape growers is becoming ever more challenging, as it has been extremely oversaturated over the last few years.

“There is an oversupply of grapes on the market, and the effects of that can be seen in situations like this one with Refresco,” Holden said.