Capital press., April 13, 2018, Page 22, Image 50

22 CapitalPress.com
April 13, 2018
Washington Fruit cultivates reputation as trend-setter
By DAVE LEDER
For the Capital Press
David Leder/For the Capital Press
Washington Fruit & Produce Co. employees sort apples for packaging at the company’s headquarters in Yakima, Wash.
tion,” said Frank Davis, vice
president of sales at Wash-
ington Fruit.
“We’re always looking
to improve our efficiency in
all aspects of the operation,
whether it’s with growing,
packing, shipping or sales.
We want to be innovators in
everything we do, and we
believe staying ahead of the
curve is what will help us re-
main strong as a company.”
With 1,250 year-round
employees — and as many
as 7,500 during harvest —
Washington Fruit is one of
the largest employers in the
Yakima Valley.
At the same time, the
company is always looking
at ways to streamline its op-
eration.
Advancements in robot-
ics and fruit-scanning equip-
ment may eventually limit
the need for so much man-
power, but when you have as
many orchards as Washing-
ton Fruit does, the need for
labor remains ever-present.
Providing
a
superi-
or-quality product to its cus-
tomers will always be the
priority.
“We try to stay ahead of
technology in our packing
facilities so we can contin-
ue to deliver the best-qual-
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ONV18-2/100
imize its haul from existing
orchards by planting trees
closer together.
By taking advantage of
the latest growing trends
and packing technologies,
the company has been able
to maintain its foothold in a
competitive market.
“We are one of the larg-
est fruit companies in the
Northwest, especially when
it comes to vertical integra-
ONV18-4/108
Washington Fruit & Pro-
duce Co. is one of the oldest
fruit growing and shipping op-
erations in the Pacific North-
west. But by no means is the
102-year-old Yakima, Wash.,
company showing its age.
If anything, Washington
Fruit has fortified its reputation
as a trend-setter in the indus-
try, leading the way with in-
novative growing techniques,
packing-line technology and
storage methods.
The family-owned com-
pany, founded in 1916 by
Fred Plath, moved most of its
packing, shipping and storage
functions to a 111-acre campus
off U.S. Highway 12 in 2011.
A state-of-the-art administra-
tive headquarters followed in
2015.
Meanwhile, a series of new
controlled atmosphere (CA)
storage facilities are currently
under construction, allowing
Washington Fruit to keep pace
with an increasing volume of
apples and cherries year after
year. The company partners
with Underwood Fruit in the
Columbia River Gorge to
pack and ship its assortment
of pear varieties.
Washington Fruit also has
been adding to its acreage
around the region in recent
years, while trying to max-
ity fruit around the world,”
Davis said. “We want to be
on the leading edge, and that
commitment has made our
operational efficiency very
high.”
Washington Fruit also has
an eye on the future when it
comes to growing, recogniz-
ing the increasing demand
for organic fruit around the
world.
The company has plant-
ed some new organic apple
orchards in the past year and
will be converting some of
its traditional orchard land
to organic — a process that
takes three years.
“That’s where the indus-
try is going, and we want
to satisfy the growing need
for organics in our product
mix,” Davis said. “Our or-
ganic program will grow
significantly in the 2018
crop year.”
Washington Fruit is also
looking forward to crop year
2019, when it will have the
newest apple variety, Cos-
mic Crisp, developed at
Washington State University
and only available to Wash-
ington growers.
“We offer a good balance
of all the major varieties, but
we think the Cosmic Crisp
will make us even more com-
petitive,” Davis said. “We’re
very excited about the next
few years.”