WENATCHEE, Wash. – Stemilt Growers is kicking off its 50th year with the introduction of a retro anniversary carton for apples. A white box adorned with the Stemilt logo and ladybug was originally designed by Stemilt’s late founder Tom Mathison and used for many years to distinguish the brand at retail and other worldwide markets.
The anniversary carton follows the original design but keeps the “World Famous Fruit” tagline with the company logo and shows off a special 50th year anniversary emblem that highlights this important company milestone. The World Famous Fruit tagline was the vision of Tom’s son and 4th generation apple, pear and cherry grower Kyle Mathison, who felt the company’s journey was to grow and pack fruit with world famous qualities each day.
According to Stemilt marketing director Roger Pepperl, the apple anniversary carton will start showing up at retail in the next two weeks. In addition to the white box, there is a blue and a red version for other grades. The company plans to use the 50th anniversary emblem with its traditional white box for cherries this summer, and will have a retro pear label to match the 50th year look beginning in August.
“The anniversary carton series is just one way we will be celebrating this milestone in 2014,” said Pepperl. “The 50 year emblem, designed in-house, will appear throughout our marketing efforts, including cartons, collateral, website, and more.”
The journey to the golden anniversary year started back in 1964 when third generation apple, pear, and cherry grower Tom Mathison began a tree fruit packing and shipping operation on Stemilt Hill in Wenatchee, WA. The Mathison family had been farming on Stemilt Hill since homesteading 160 acres there in 1893.
Tom chose Stemilt Growers as the name of the company in order to honor the land that his family had been farming for so long and to share with the world the great locale that his fruits originated.
Always the innovator, Tom spent most of his life working to advance Stemilt and the tree fruit industry as a whole. He was a driving force behind bringing Washington apples, pears and cherries to the global marketplace, and an early adopter in both organic farming and sustainable agriculture.
In 2005, West Mathison, Tom’s grandson, succeeded his grandfather as Stemilt president. He has carried on the traditions that his grandfather began while elevating Stemilt’s leadership position in apples, pears, cherries, stone fruits, and organics. He has been instrumental in bringing new varieties and packing technologies to Stemilt in order to continue fulfilling the company’s mission – maximize return to the land by building consumer demand.
“The 50th year anniversary is a huge milestone for our family and the entire Stemilt team,” said West Mathison, Stemilt president. “2014 will be an exciting year as we honor our past accomplishments, while continuing to build towards the future.”
About Stemilt
Stemilt Growers is a leading tree fruit growing, packing and shipping company based in Wenatchee, Washington. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt is the leading shipper of sweet cherries and the largest supplier of organic tree fruits in the nation. Stemilt has also demonstrated a commitment to sustainable agriculture and social responsibility since 1989, when founder Tom Mathison launched the company’s Responsible Choice program. For more information about Stemilt, visit www.stemilt.com and follow Stemilt on Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube.
Source: Stemilt
