Growing Fresh Fruit As A Family For Over 100 Years

In 1893, the Mathison family homesteaded 160 acres on Stemilt Hill near Wenatchee, Washington. Their deed remained secure as long as they farmed the land, laying the foundation for generations to come. First-generation farmer, Thomas Cyle Mathison, played a key role in the community as a founding partner of the Stemilt Creek Irrigation Company, bringing vital water to the land and paving the way for the family’s very first orchards.

With its rolling hills and fertile soils, Stemilt Hill reminded Thomas of his homeland, Scotland. The locale’s mild desert climate, snowy winters, and plentiful water supply would be the ideal place to grow fruit, so Thomas planted the family’s first 10 acres of apples, pears and cherries in 1914.

After serving in World War II, Tom returned home to resume work on the family farm. Shortly after, his father Chris died tragically in a farming accident, and Tom was left to lead the farm. Over the next decade, the family struggled to keep the farm going. Tom married Lorraine Goldy in 1950 and the couple quickly started a family, with Bob born in 1951, Kyle in 1952, and Lavonne in 1953.

The family’s real challenge struck during the 1958 crop year. Tom had returned a mere $88 on his 100-ton cherry crop. This crop disaster was a turning point. If it weren’t for his wife’s business of selling eggs, cream, and painting houses, the family would have been forced to sell the orchards. Lorraine laid it out for him clearly stating: “Tommy, you figure out what is wrong and fix it, or go get a job to support this family.” So, Tom chose to fix the problem.

Tom began packing his own cherries in a small-scale facility that he constructed with his new-found knowledge of picking and packing cherries. After his first year as a grower-packer, Tom followed his cherries to the same market on the East Coast where they sold for $40 for a 20 lb. box. A huge turnaround! The following year, several neighbors asked Tom to pack their cherries, and in 1964, Tom founded a fruit-packing business called Stemilt Growers.

Always ahead of his time, Tom launched Stemilt’s Responsible Choice® program in 1989, pioneering sustainability in the orchard. He introduced integrated pest management to reduce pesticides, converted orchards to organic, and added the ladybug to Stemilt’s logo as a symbol of environmental commitment. Tom also transformed cherry sales by being the first to package them in bags, an idea borrowed from the candy industry.

In 2013, Stemilt opened doors to an on-site health clinic for Stemilt team members. This addition led to the opening of the on-site Stemilt Family Clinic and pharmacy in 2015, which is available to all Stemilt team members, their spouses, and dependents for free.

Stemilt built a new distribution facility to store its fruit throughout the year at just the right temperatures, called the Fresh Cube. The new facility houses all activities post-packing for apples, pears, and cherries, including an automated storage retrieval system that simplifies the shipping process. It also houses Stemilt’s pear ripening center.

Stemilt is the first tree fruit grower, packer, and shipper to reach full certification of all its company owned orchards and packing facilities. The Equitable Food Initiative certification trains and develops cross-functional leadership teams that foster continuous improvement to increase transparency and assurance around farm working conditions, food safety, and industry challenges. Stemilt has nine active leadership teams that combine to dedicate 8,000 hours annually towards EFI initiatives for 3,000 employees.

In 2023, Stemilt introduced Happi Pear® to the world—an inviting new pear brand designed to bring a little extra joy to everyday fruit moments. With its crisp bite, balanced sweetness, and approachable personality, Happi Pear® set out to offer a branded pear as The Fruit For Every Smile™.