Stemilt Growers celebrates 60th anniversary
Stemilt Growers officially celebrated its 60th anniversary Jan. 31 with festivities, treats and a video from company President West Mathison sharing the origins of the Wenatchee, Wash.-based packer, grower and distributor of tree fruit.
“The 60th anniversary celebration was a special occasion for everyone at Stemilt, and is made possible by our Stemilters, growers, and partner customers that have been part of our journey,” Mathison said in a news release. “Every one of our Stemilters, growers, customers and consumers is part of this generational journey. With freshness as our guiding post, we hope to continue to delight the world with World Famous Fruit for years to come.”
Stemilt’s origins
What started as a family farm of 10 acres of apples, pears and cherries on Stemilt Hill in Wenatchee has become one of the largest tree fruit growers in the country.
“One thing that is deeply seated in Stemilt’s roots and culture is a promise my grandfather, Tom Mathison, made to himself after he returned from WWII,” West Mathison said in the release. “As he was lying in a ditch for 18 hours, he promised he would not let worry get in the way of his life anymore. He was just a high school dropout living on Stemilt Hill who had to overcome many adversities in his lifetime, but he never let these things stop him from supporting his family and making a mark in the industry. I think it’s that same curiosity and strong drive to innovate that Tom had that we still carry with us at Stemilt.”
Stemilt Growers said Tom Mathison faced several challenges in the early days of the company, including when he earned only $88 on a 100-ton cherry crop in 1958. The next year he followed his cherries from Washington to New York, and he learned the fruit lost its luster from the journey, the company said.
In 1959, he traveled to California to learn how Italian families harvested their cherry crops.
“That same year, he traveled to California to study how Italian families harvested cherries.
“After he learned some new harvest techniques, he brought them to the family co-op, who turned him down because they didn’t have the money at the time to build a cold chain or hire a larger crew,” Tate Mathison, vice president of sales and marketing, said in the release. “My grandmother spelled it out plainly for him saying ‘Tommy, you figure out what’s wrong and fix it, or go get a job to support this family.’ He had two choices in that moment, and he chose to fix his problems.”
Stemilt’s growth
Tom Mathison founded Stemilt Growers in 1964 and packed the family-grown cherries in a small facility he built. After that first packing, Stemilt said a buyer followed the cherries back to Wenatchee to see where they came from.
“The buyer said to Tom, ‘When I opened up your box, the cherries shined like rubies!’” Tate Mathison said. “Though California seemed to have the best cherries, Tom was growing in Washington, and the quality of his cherries was better because of the unique and optimal growing climate on Stemilt Hill. My dad, Kyle, says the cool air comes to kiss cherries good night every day. It’s easily 10-15 degrees cooler in the Stemilt Hill region than it is in Washington state. The combination of these factors is what helps flavor, sugar and firmness develop into cherries with dessert-eating qualities.”
The company Tom Mathison built is one of the largest employers in the Wenatchee Valley and continues a legacy of innovation and freshness, the release said. Stemilt Growers' R&D team led to new varieties such as Rave and Aura apples and Happi pears. The company also launched sustainable packaging for organic apples.
“Tom wanted to go to market with Stemilt, but he was also a big collaborator and wanted to advance quality for the industry as a whole,” West Mathison said. “Because of Tom, Stemilt has carried on his legacy of overcoming adversity and adjusting to the challenges you face as a grower.”
