As one of Michigan’s oldest grower-owned distributors of fresh apples, now in its 66th year, BelleHarvest is known for building deep partnerships and offering consistent, high-quality, flavorful apples while staying rooted within the local community.

To do this, BelleHarvest partners with top growers throughout Michigan to project future flavor trends and maximize productivity while still maintaining the high-quality standards it has long been recognized for.

The tradition of apple growing in Michigan is rich, as the state has 775 family-run farms, some dating back five or six generations. This makes Michigan apples available virtually year-round — and they are sold in 32 states and 18 countries. Plus, more than 12,000 retail grocery stores in the United States sell Michigan apples.

Hundreds of apple varieties are grown in Michigan. Some of the most popular varieties are Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp and Red Delicious. Additionally, there are many managed varieties grown in the state, such as EverCrisp, SweeTango, Smitten and Kiku.

The Michigan Apple Committee launched a re-designed website for the 2023 crop year. The consumer-facing website provides a wealth of information for apple lovers, including recipes, health information, varietal information and grower biographies.

As a third-generation family-owned produce wholesale distributor, Rocky Produce has been an important player in the Michigan produce scene for more than five decades, delivering a full line of quality fruits and vegetables.

That’s important at the end of spring and into the summer months, as locally grown produce begins to make its way into retail stores and restaurants, and Rocky Produce is counted on for bringing in Michigan-grown crops, such as asparagus, radishes, kale and greens.

It was only about a year ago when Edward L. Myrick Produce, which had decades of experience in Florida and Georgia, decided to open a Michigan facility to increase its year-round supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.

So, it began operations in Benton Harbor, once known as the Fruit Belt, and increased its presence in Michigan, allowing the company to supply customers with fresh eastern vegetables during the summer months.

North Bay Produce, a powerful cooperative of 33 grower-owners representing more than 1,000 farms from around the world, markets and distributes fresh fruits and vegetables 52 weeks a year.