For more than five decades, Princeton Wood Preservers (est. 1973) has quietly become a backbone supplier for orchards and vineyards across British Columbia. Family-owned and operated since 1993 by the Everitt family, the company has grown alongside the province’s wine and tree fruit industries.
“My parents acquired Princeton Preservers (PWP) in 1993,” says Bill Everitt, owner and second-generation operator. “It was focused on post and rail: farm fencing and agricultural products such as grape posts, orchard posts and tree stakes. That’s been our focus ever since.”
Bill, who grew up around the business, remembers the early days well. “As a kid in a family business, you kind of work in it your whole life. You’re there for summer jobs, painting something, cleaning something, sorting something. I’ve worked here a lot,” he says. Now, his young son may one day carry on the tradition.
“My son Leo is four years old. He hasn’t peeled a post yet, but we’ll see if we can get him out there at some point.”
Science of Preservation
At the heart of PWP’s success is a commitment to quality. Everitt explains that not all treated posts are equal.
“Wood treating is species-specific. Every species has different characteristics when you’re trying to inject a preservative. Our premium product is pine only, and pine is a very treatable species,” he says.
Unlike many competitors, PWP carefully pre-dries its wood to ensure maximum penetration of the preservative. “That’s the main differentiator for us. Not very many others in this space are pre-drying. It’s a huge part of why our posts last as long as they do.”
The results speak for themselves. “We guarantee our premium treated posts against rot in the ground for 25 years, but we’ve seen them last far longer,” says Everitt. “A vineyard in Oliver pulled posts last year that had been in the ground since 1984, and they were still good.”
For growers, that longevity means lower replacement costs and more reliable trellis systems. “If you’re establishing a vineyard, you don’t want to be rebuilding your trellis after ten years.”
Chris Stenberg
Beyond B.C.
Though rooted in Princeton, PWP has expanded far beyond the Okanagan. “A fair amount of our business is in Ontario and increasingly in Quebec. We get calls from the Maritimes, where they have a fair-sized apple industry,” says Everitt.
Their reach extends as far as Japan. “It’s a big point of pride for us that we have this niche of viticulture using our posts. Japan is a tough environment for wood, with heavy precipitation. Yet our posts there have been in the ground for more than 15 years, still standing strong. That speaks to the quality of our product.”
PWP has also supplied posts for other notable projects, including the Arctic Apple plantings in the U.S.
“I’ve been using PWP as my exclusive post provider for 15 years, across all 75 acres on my home orchards, as well as all 1,258 acres of OSF (Okanagan Specialty Fruits) orchards in Washington,” says Joel Carter. “Some of the lease orchards that I took on back in 2010 had used other posts. I have been pounding PWP posts next to them because they are all rotting and falling over. I have some orchards with PWP posts that have had zero trellis trouble even after 27 years.”
Some of the Okanagan’s leading wineries also rely on PWP posts, including Arterra Wines Canada, Peller Estates and Quails’ Gate.
Local Roots, Lasting Commitment
Despite its growing reach, PWP remains deeply tied to its local agricultural community and its dealer network.
“We operate in Princeton, but I live in Penticton,” Everitt says. “We drink the wine. We eat the apples from this region. And similarly with berries in Abbotsford. When you call the plant, you can speak to the owner. It’s not a huge corporate hierarchy.”
That local connection is part of the company’s guiding philosophy. “I was raised in the business to make a product we are proud of, that we were confident would serve the client well for the long term,” he says. “ We want people to be able to fully rely on our products and focus on the other parts of their business.”
PWP emphasizes its premium brand and the guarantee that comes with it. “That Princeton Wood Preservers premium tag is crucial. If it doesn’t have our tag, you can’t be sure it’s ours. We guarantee it against rot for 25 years, and we always stand behind that.”
This dedication extends to customer service. “If someone finds pieces that don’t make the grade, we always support our dealers in making it right. We encourage complaints, because we want to fix problems before they affect more customers.”
Looking ahead, Everitt says the focus remains on sustainability. “As the world, and the West in particular, focuses on sustainability and trying to be greener, wood products are a crucial part of that,” he says, noting with pride that theirs is a made-in-Canada local product. The competition: steel posts that must be imported.
“To have a place that’s three hours from Vernon and only an hour and a half from somewhere like Naramata or Oliver—key growing regions in the south—we are truly the local option,” says Everitt.
“We have taken a lot of pride in serving this amazing industry that’s right in our backyard. And we intend to for many more years.”