WENATCHEE, Wash. — Stemilt Growers, leading packer, grower, and distributor of tree fruits, including apples and pears, celebrates the close of another incredible year in its multi-generational history. At the forefront of the industry, Stemilt exhibited excellence in all areas throughout 2023, from harvest to operations, marketing and beyond. Experiencing a 43% YoY increase in apple crop yield, Stemilt continued to modernize orchard practices and its mix of varietals in the process.
The resonance of Stemilt’s business model, which infuses strong family values with a growth-oriented mindset, is evident in the results and recognition the company has received this year. In 2023, Stemilt and its partners earned an array of highly coveted accolades across different practice areas, including:
- Progressive Grocer’s Impact Award for Workforce Development & Employee Support for the “Project Search” Program
- Produce Business’ Best in Marketing Excellence Award for the “Rave® Apple Race” Campaign
- Washington Association of School Administrators’ Community Leadership Award for the Eastmont High School Partnership with “Project Search”
- Good Fruit Grower Silver Pear Award to Stemilt Senior Vice President of Business Development Strategy, Mike Taylor
- Stemilt’s Marketing Partners, Douglas Fruit, Named Good Fruit Grower’s 2023 Growers of the Year
With increased crop yield, Stemilt rose to the challenge of marketing more than 15 million boxes of apples out of Washington State, building upon a marketing footprint that has grown by 4,000 acres since 2020. The company’s strategic approach to business expansion, coupled with an unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction, is what sets Stemilt apart and has the company poised for continued advancement in the years to come.
“Being a family-owned business, we continue to prioritize our core values of integrity, trust, humility, stewardship, and innovation, which are woven into everything we do,” says West Mathison, CEO of Stemilt Growers. “As the business has continued to expand, those values, and our dedication to providing freshness to every consumer, continue to guide our decisions and ensure that with each new step we take, the company remains true to my grandfather’s original vision of providing high-quality, trustworthy produce to consumers nationwide.”
Looking ahead to 2024, Stemilt remains on the frontier of new variety development across apples, pears, and cherries, with the new Happi Pear® that just came to market in late 2023, and a yellow-skinned Aura® Apple making its second, limited-time offering season in January 2024. Further, as the nation’s largest and leading supplier of sweet cherries, the company is planting additional orchards to expand volume for key timeframes and accommodate expanded retail distribution of cherries, which remain a highly sought after seasonal item.
“As growing conditions were tremendous this year, we anticipate impressive volume and quality in 2024 crop yields,” says Brianna Shales, Marketing Director for Stemilt Growers. “That said, we are seeing apples like Cosmic Crisp®, a varietal that broke into the top 10 by sales in 2023, and Honeycrisp, a top-seller across the category, positioned to have big years in terms of volume. In addition to that, Stemilt consumers can look forward to kid-favorite Lil Snappers® apple bags continuing to be sold in stores as well as a new sustainable 4 pack for organic apples, which will be available under the Artisan Organics® label.”
For more information about Stemilt Growers, visit https://stemilt.com For those interested in following along with the company on social media, check out @stemiltfruit on Instagram, @stemilt on TikTok, and find us on LinkedIn.
About Stemilt
Stemilt is a family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of tree fruit. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt’s mission is to cultivate people and delight consumers with its World-Famous Fruits. Stemilt is a leader in sweet cherries and organic tree fruits, and a key supplier of apples and pears. The company stewards an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible business through its Responsible Choice® program, which has been in place since 1989. For more information about Stemilt, visit www.stemilt.com.
