FirstFruits Farms has acquired Applewood Orchards and Applewood Fresh Growers, marking a significant milestone in the company's continuous pursuit of excellence and expansion.

The 2023 celebration of Pear Bureau Northwest's annual World Pear Day is on Dec. 2. Kicking off the 19th annual National Pear Month, this year’s World Pear Day offers consumers around the world the opportunity to celebrate with pears through live chef demos of new pear recipes.

Established in 1916, Washington Fruit Growers stands as a family-owned company with a rich history of growing, packing and shipping apples, pears and cherries to customers worldwide. The company’s enduring commitment to quality is underlined by its embrace of state-of-the-art technologies and advanced horticultural practices.

With harvest underway throughout the four growing regions, Pear Bureau Northwest announces the first estimate of the 2023-24 fresh pear crop for Washington and Oregon. The industry’s fresh pear estimate is 15.2 million standard box equivalents, which is on par with the four-year average. 

CMI Orchards introduced new pear-packing technology with strong benefits to retailers and consumers. Its recent expansions on the technology used to pack, market and sell pears is something the company has been working toward for a while.

Pear producers in Washington and Oregon voted to continue their federal marketing order this year, with the largest margin in the order’s history. Pear growers have the opportunity to vote every six years on whether or not to continue the marketing order. For the marketing order to continue, two-thirds or more of producers voting, or producers representing two-thirds or more of the volume voted needed to vote in favor of continuance.