Latest News From Washington Apples

With orchards spanning Washington state from the Columbia River to the Canadian border, Domex Superfresh Growers offers a full range of apple varieties.

Evans Fruit has remodeled its Yakima plant with a new 40-lane advanced packing line, said Scott Hennessey, sales representative for Evans Fruit, Yakima, Wash.

Smaller gala sizes in Washington state will open the door to increased retail promotions of bagged apples, according to Brianna Shales, director of marketing for Stemilt Growers, Wenatchee, Wash.

Oppy expects a good quality season for its proprietary apples, says Roger Aguirre, director of apples and pears for the Oppenheimer Group (Oppy).

Finding varieties that appeal to consumers is one way the leading state for U.S. apple production continues to innovate and evolve.

More erratic growing conditions in the last few years have captured the attention of Washington apple industry observers.

With an excellent quality crop now being harvested, Yakima, Wash.-based FirstFruits Marketing is looking forward to connecting consumers with Washington apples.

The Cosmic Crisp apple is a rising star for Washington apple marketers, but how high it will soar is still a question, marketers say.

Yakima, Wash.-based FirstFruits Farms has started its 10th year of growing and selling the Sweetie branded apple.

Giving apple consumers great quality fruit goes a long way to ensuring repeat retail purchases, despite the friction of inflation in the produce department, Washington apple marketers say.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers is expanding sales and distribution of the proprietary Juici apple variety, said Dan Davis, director of business development for Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers.

While the state’s 2022 fresh apple crop may be shorter than some years, the Wenatchee, Wash.-based Washington Apple Commission is gearing up for another big year of promoting fresh apple exports.

The Washington fresh apple crop is projected at 108.7 million standard forty-pound boxes, an 11.1% decrease from 2021’s 122.3 million boxes, according to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association.

The value of U.S. apple exports dipped slightly in the year ending June 2021, but some export destinations saw big gains.

Washington’s Cosmic Crisp apples are on the rise.

Washington apple growers are continuing to see big volume of organic apples, with expected fresh output close to that of a year ago.

With a run of triple-degree temperatures in midsummer, Washington apple growers have seen their challenges for 2021.

Cutting the Washington state apple forecast by nearly 11% from USDA's August estimate, the U.S. Apple Association's forecast of the U.S. crop reveals a big divergence in expectations between the two estimates.

Northwest produce firms Chelan Fresh, Gebbers Farms and Apple House Warehouse & Storage Inc. are helping support families in Pateros, Wash., where childcare is in short supply.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based Starr Ranch Growers is planning holiday promotions that feature apple-centric baked goods recipes, blog posts and more designed to encourage holiday baking.

After 40 years in the produce industry and 20 years at Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers, Roger Pepperl is retiring at the end of the year.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based Starr Ranch Growers is supporting sales of Juici apples this fall with the launch of variety-specific social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers is touting its apple and pear packaging options at the Produce Marketing Association’s virtual Fresh Summit.

Stemilt Growers has seen success with its Instagram First Verified Fruit (FVF) marketing campaign for its Rave apple variety.

For its 2020 Rave crop, Wenatchee, Wash.-Stemilt Growers has launched what it is calling the  First Verified Fruit campaign on Instagram.

A new estimate projects that the 2020 Washington apple crop will be similar in size to last season.

Apples are on a roll, and that momentum should continue nicely into August and the new crop.

How close are robotic apple harvesting machines to commercial deployment?

Neftali Garcia, representing the first generation in his family to attend college, was also a benefactor of the Washington Apple Education Foundation.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers is promoting Piñata and Artisan Organics Lil Snappers apples as summer promotion options.

Get ready to Rave.

Apple industry veteran Scott Michael Hanses, 62, died March 13.

The latest estimate for the Washington apple crop is 138.2 million fresh-packed boxes, up slightly from the August forecast.

Exporters of Washington apples anticipate ample business this year.

Apple grower-shippers in Washington say they will have plenty of organic fruit this year, which will keep pace with rising demand.

Washington apple grower-shippers and marketers say they have a variety for every taste.

Gala will overtake red delicious this year as Washington’s top apple variety.

Washington grower-shippers offer their customers a wider selection of branded apples than ever, but getting their product on produce shelves can be a challenge.

Catch up on the news from grower-shippers and marketers of Washington apples with a few quick updates.

Brian Focht is the new manager of what are known collectively in the Pacific Northwest as the Marketing Associations, representing apples, pears and cherries.

Vancouver, British Columbia-based The Oppenheimer Group expects to see a 50% increase in volume of its conventional Envy apples this season, giving the branded variety year-round availability.

If you’re looking for a Washington apple, you’ve got a lot of options. Branded apples seem to be the trend among Washington grower-shippers, with many companies promoting proprietary or managed varieties.

The Washington apple crop will be somewhat smaller than expected this year, but despite some setbacks, grower-shippers say plenty of good-quality fruit should be available.

There’s no slowing the growth of Washington’s organic apple category.

WENATCHEE, Wash. — Grower-shippers expected a good transition to the new apple crop, with harvest on track to begin near the end of August, weeks later than last season.

Catch up on the latest from companies featured in The Packer's 2017 Washington Apples shipping profile.