Innovations

In 1958, Stemilt founder Tom Mathison grossed a mere $88 for his 100 ton cherry crop. Frustrated that he could work so hard all summer to barely cover overhead costs, Tom immediately set out to change his go-to-market practices. Over the next few years, he researched harvest techniques to come up with a surefire way to ensure his cherries arrived at markets in the same great condition that they left his orchards. When all was said and done, Tom created a new system for harvesting and packing cherries - relying on innovations like hydrocooling and controlled atmosphere storage to deliver the most premium product to the marketplace.

Over the years, Tom’s passion for delivering fresh and flavorful fruits to consumers worldwide enabled Stemilt to latch onto the latest and greatest innovations. Stemilt was the first to market cherries in bags and the first company to brand itself on PLU stickers for apples. Today, Stemilt's commitment to innovation lives on:

• Bringing new fruit varieties to market (including Pinata and SweeTango apples)
• Modern packing facilities equipped with near-infrared technology to analyze the sugars and internal quality of each piece of fruit
• Dedicated research lab to test new products and continually improve fruit quality
• Tree nursery to test new varieties and rootstalks to find the best product mix
• Large network of C.A. rooms provides a year-round supply of quality apples
• Forced air cooling rooms to quickly cool cherries before shipment
• Modified atmosphere packaging to maximize fruit freshness
• Use of SmartFresh to extend the freshness and flavor of apples in storage
• Refrigerated loading docks at shipping
• RipeRite pear ripening program, complete with two Thermal Tech tarpless ripening rooms, offers a better eating experience
• Commitment to gentle handling and packaging