Stemilt Growers knows apples are a staple in the produce department all year long. As growers, packers and marketers of apples, the company is able to supply stores with this great fruit and employ people for year-round operations.

Peirone Produce Co. has built its success through its relationships with regional grocers and growers in the Pacific Northwest, and as such it is demonstrating its commitment to supporting those partners through its Taste Local program.

The program caught the attention of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington’s 5th Congressional District, who visited Peirone Produce Co. recently through a mutual connection, Bonnie Quinn of QUINN Advertising, which has developed marketing materials for Peirone Produce Co. and the Taste Local initiative.

As extreme heat and fires plague much of the West, wildland firefighters go from fire to fire with little end in sight.  In the Okanogan Valley of Washington state, firefighters from as far away as Utah and Arizona battle blazes that threaten lives and property. These frontline workers live and work under challenging conditions, and they have little access to fresh produce. So, when Bob Grandy from Gebbers Farms, a fruit packer for Chelan Fresh, unexpectedly showed up at the fire camps with boxes of fresh, Washington-grown cherries, even the smoke couldn’t dampen the mood.

The repercussions of this summer's heat wave, which included a string of triple-digit temperatures, are still being felt by the local farming community of Walla Walla, WA.

Stemilt’s Artisan Organics peach and nectarine season continues to thrive through these hot summer months with excellent quality and “some of the best flavor” to date, said Brianna Shales, Stemilt marketing director. Retailers can load now to boost their category for the weeks to come and delight consumers around the country with some world famous sweet and juicy organic stone fruit.

CMI Orchards anticipates growth in the 2021 cherry crop. Excellent weather conditions, including an absence of significant frost events, have contributed to outstanding quality, great sizing, and 17 percent growth of this year’s crop as compared to 2020.

“We are seeing consistent spread throughout our growing districts, with Skeena and Sweetheart cherries showing exceptional size and quality,” said Joel Hewitt, domestic sales organic manager for the company.