CHELAN, WA — It’s not often that an enterprise-level company makes the choice to press pause, take a deep breath and reflect on who they really are and why they do what they do. To honestly assess what sets them apart and go out on a limb to change their entire brand name in order to communicate those values to the consumer.
That’s what top-selling tree fruit grower Chelan Fresh just did, and the results could not be more inspiring – or more timely.
Grower-owned and operated, Chelan Fresh represents multi-generational family farms, many of them five and even six generations of growers, largely in North Central Washington State. Last fall, as the company took stock of where they had come from, who they were, and where they were going, they embarked on a series of individual grower interviews, feedback sessions and core identity “excavation” work. As the process unfolded, a story emerged that was distilled down to two simple words, transformative yet simple: Joyfully Grown™.
As individuals shared what the concept of Joyfully Grown™ meant to them, a multi-layered fabric was woven – the joy of early morning sunrises over the orchards, joy in watching new generations work in the family enterprise, joy in the care of picking, packing and shipping. Joy, even in the challenges of late frosts, hailstorms, financial downturns and supply chain woes. Daniel Gebbers, Domestic Sales Manager, explains it beautifully – “Happy is a temporary feeling. And, a lot of times, you’re happy if something is easy. Something that’s joyful, on the other hand, might be really difficult, but you find joy in doing it. You find joy in that process and in the outcome. And, in our case, we find joy in the success we can give to our employees and our partners.”
“I didn’t realize how deeply joy resonated with our growers until I heard them give their own definitions of the word,” said Tom Riggan, CEO. “Although not everyone could be in the room when this decision was made, it clearly represents who we are as a company and the values we hold so dear,” Tom says. “We do what we say we’re going to do, and we want to be known for that. We want to show the consumer that the fruit we are growing brings us joy, and we hope it brings them joy too.”
Today’s consumer audience wants to know where their food comes from and who is growing it, and wants to feel a connection to where their food comes from. The new Joyfully Grown™ brand makes this possible while also sharing joy with consumers, connecting them to the land, the trees and the harvest. Retailers can share in the same joy the growers have while selling the fresh fruit – building big, beautiful, abundant displays with the Joyfully Grown™ brand in vibrant, eye-catching colors, telling shoppers about where it was grown, what it will taste like and fun recipes and tips on how they can use it.
The new brand will encompass the company’s entire offering of non-proprietary apple varieties, which includes Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady, and more. Joyfully Grown™ will also encompass all varieties of pears, as well as Rainier and Sweet Red Cherries.
Joyfully Grown Organics™, a cohesive Organic version of the new brand, will be released simultaneously. Both Conventional and Organic packaging will include colorful pouches, eye-catching merchandisers, and a new custom-shaped PLU for easy in-store recognition. The Organic line has a set of colors that are easily recognizable as organic, including a lavender and kraft brown palette.
The Joyfully Grown™ brand and packaging capture the essence of what inspires and sustains these generations of devoted growers. It speaks to the care and commitment that goes into season after season of cultivating the land, working with Mother Nature, and all the challenges and rewards that growing fruit entails.
“Joyfully Grown™ shows the history of the experience, the attention to detail, and the quality that goes into our products,” adds Julie DeJarnatt, Director of Retail Strategy. “It bridges the gap for the shopper who comes in and thinks that apples just appear on their shelves, opening that doorway to the idea that these are real people who get up and choose to do this every single day and honoring what they go through to produce such a consistent, fresh, high-quality piece of fruit.”
The first shipments of fruit under the Joyfully Grown™ and Joyfully Grown Organics™ labels will be the Fall 2022 apple and pear harvest. Cherries under the new brand will be available in late Spring of 2023.
For more information, please visit www.chelanfresh.com/joyfullygrown/, or come see our booth at the Organic Produce Summit July 13-14, 2022 at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, California.
About Chelan Fresh
Chelan Fresh is a fruit marketing company representing multi-generational family growers who annually ship over 20 million boxes of premium apples, pears, cherries and several stone fruit varieties, including their exclusive SugarBee™ and Rockit™ apple varieties, for demanding domestic and international markets. Their fruit is grown primarily in North Central Washington where ample sunshine, gentle mountain slopes, fertile valleys, and cool crisp air combine with the waters of the mighty Columbia River for ideal growing conditions.
