Chelan Fresh is proud to represent the growers of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties in Washington State. Check in regularly to hear about what’s happening out in the orchards that produce some of Washington’s Finest Mountain Grown SugarBee® apples. We caught up with Dave to find out what he’s been up to and what he loves about his work. Chelan Fresh (CF): Hi Dave, could you please tell us a little bit about you and your orchard? Dave Robison (DR): Sure, I’d be happy to. I am a third generation farmer and have been farming since 1982. Our home place is at [...]

The SugarBee® apple was created on a sunny spring day when an industrious bee carried pollen from an unknown variety and landed on a Honeycrisp tree and the SugarBee® apple was born. Grower Chuck Nystrom noticed the branch in his orchard as it produced a beautiful bi-colored apple that was crisp, sweet and juicy. The growers at Chelan Fresh agreed with Mr. Nystom and made the decision to grow the SugarBee® apple. One of these growers is Harold Schell, who manages variety development to determine what new varieties will be friendly to grow, harvest, pack, and also have consumer appeal. Harold [...]

Chelan Fresh is proud to represent the growers of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties in Washington State. Check in with our blog - To The Core - to find out what’s happening in the orchards that produce some of Washington’s Finest Mountain Grown Fruit.  We have a special interview for you this month with organic grower, John Bostock, of Bostock New Zealand. John is the largest producer of organic apples in New Zealand and partners with Chelan Fresh. We are thrilled that we were able to catch up with him during his trip to Chelan.  Chelan Fresh: Hello John, Welcome to Chelan! John Bostock: Thank you very much indeed, what a [...]

Chelan Fresh is proud to represent the growers of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties in Washington State. Check in with our blog - To The Core - to find out what’s happening in the orchards that produce some of Washington’s Finest Mountain Grown Fruit.   This month we are talking with Harold Schell of Chelan Fruit.   Chelan Fresh: Hello Harold, thank you for your time today to talk to us. What is it that you do for Chelan Fruit? Harold Schell: I manage the test orchard where we have several new varieties that we are testing, and we are harvesting some of those new varieties today. [...]

Chelan Fresh is proud to represent the growers of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties in Washington State. Check in with our blog - To The Core - to find out what’s happening in the orchards that produce some of Washington’s Finest Mountain Grown Fruit. This month we are talking with Allen Godwin of Godwin Organic Orchards in Tonasket, Washington. Chelan Fresh: Hi Allen, I am anxious to hear about organic farming, but let’s start with information about your orchard. Where is it located and how many acres do you farm? Allen Godwin: We have 3 entities in the family; Godwin Organic Orchards, Godwin Family Orchards, and Box Canyon Orchards [...]

Chelan Fresh is proud to represent the growers of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties in Washington State. Each month we will introduce them to you in our “Meet the Grower” series. Check in regularly with our blog - To The Core - to find out what’s happening in the orchards that produce some of Washington’s Finest Mountain Grown Fruit. This month we are talking with Harold Peebles, of Chelan, Washington. Chelan Fresh: Hello Harold, thank you for taking the time today to have a quick chat during cherry harvest. Let’s start by hearing a little about your orchard. Harold Peebles: Well, we finished up our cherry harvest yesterday so [...]

Chelan Fresh is proud to represent the growers of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties in Washington State. Each month we will introduce them to you in our “Meet the Grower” series. Check in regularly with our blog - To The Core - to find out what’s happening in the orchards that produce some of Washington’s Finest Mountain Grown Fruit.   This month we are talking with Johnny Griggs from Griggs Orchard in Orondo, Washington.    Chelan Fresh: Hello Johnny thank you for taking time out of your day to chat, I know this is a busy time of year!  John Griggs: No problem, and yes we are busy!  CF: Why don't you start [...]

Chelan Fresh is proud to represent the growers of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties in Washington State. In the coming months we will regularly introduce them to you in our “Meet the Grower” series. Check in regularly with our blog -  To The Core - to find out what’s happening in the orchards that produce some of Washington’s Finest Mountain Grown Fruit.  This month we caught up with Steve Stamps and talked about the challenges facing small growers and how altitude can impact the growing season.  Chelan Fresh (CF): Hi Steve! Why don’t you start by telling us what fruit you grow? Steve Stamps (SS): Well, like [...]

Chelan Fresh is proud to represent the growers of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties in Washington State. In the coming months we will regularly introduce them to you in our “Meet the Grower” series. Check in regularly with our blog - To The Core - to find out what’s happening in the orchards that produce some of Washington’s Finest Mountain Grown Fruit.  Chelan Fresh: Hi Richard, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today. Richard Thomason: No problem, it’s my pleasure.  CF: Let’s dive right in, shall we? Where’s your orchard located? RT: Well, there are three orchards in total. The first is located on Brewster Flat and the other two [...]

For the second installment of our “Meet the Growers” series we sat down with 4th-generation grower John Freese to talk about family, the challenges of growing organic, the threat of labor shortages and the joys of raising kids on a farm. Chelan Fresh (CF): Hi John and thanks for taking the time to speak with us. John Freese (JF): No problem, it’s my pleasure.  CF: Can you please tell us a bit about your orchard? Where are you located? JF: Sure. We’re up on Pogue Flats, just North of Omak in Washington. Our family farm is only about 105 acres but we added another lease 3 years ago, [...]