Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers and Columbia Valley Fruit Team Up

Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers has taken a larger leap into the organic sector. The grower, packer and shipper of Northwest apples, pears, cherries and stone fruit, based in Wenatchee, Wash., and Columbia Valley Fruit of Yakima have formed a marketing partnership. Effective this coming season, all sales and marketing will be coordinated and handled by Oneonta. “We are really excited to have Columbia Valley become part of the Starr Ranch Growers family” says Dalton Thomas, president and owner of Oneonta. “We have been looking for the right mix to expand our organic offerings. Not only have we been able to expand, but to do so with the premier packer of organic apples in the state of Washington is very exciting. They have a fantastic mix of varietals, a state of the art packing line and a willingness to do what needs to be done to make the category continue to grow.” Columbia Valley Fruit produces a large percentage of Washington’s organic apple mix and also provides a major organic production component of peaches, nectarines and apricots in Washington State. Production in apples is focused on the top selling varieties of Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, Granny Smith and the ever popular Honeycrisp. “We have increasing demand from our customers and partners for more organics” says Scott Marboe, director of marketing for Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers. “As we all know, this is a growth category and the industry will continue to see more growth in the future because of the demands put on them by the consumer. We are excited to be able to offer our customers this new addition."