Visiting Sage Fruit

8/9/2022

By Lori Taylor

Farm Tours

Last week I had the unique opportunity to visit Sage Fruit in Yakima, Washington.  Yakima Valley & the surrounding Ag regions are the heart and soul of Washington Apples.  Did you know that the state of Washington supplies the United States with 60% of her apples?  My visit to the growing region was an amazing way to kick-off National Apple Month and I learned so much!  I had no clue how complicated it is & how much care & attention it takes to bring a single apple to the grocery store!!!  I’m a pretty savvy consumer when it comes to the produce department & I was absolutely blown away with the operation.

Antonia & I arrived at the Sage Fruit Office around 4pm on Monday. It was so great to be reunited with Kaci & the rest of the Sage team!
Antonia & I arrived at the Sage Fruit Office around 4pm on Monday. It was so great to be reunited with Kaci & the rest of the Sage team!

I met so many people at Sage & had the opportunity to learn about the operations from every perspective:

Andy is one of the field managers, he works hard to perfect the trellis systems, the color profiles of the apples, testing the pressures & brix (sugar levels), and so much more. Many would argue that the people like Andy are the heart & soul of the entire operation.
Andy is one of the field managers, he works hard to perfect the trellis systems, the color profiles of the apples, testing the pressures & brix (sugar levels), and so much more. Many would argue that the people like Andy are the heart & soul of the entire operation.
A bunch of magnificently grown apples doesn’t amount to much if you don’t have the dedicated labor for harvest. Apples are hand picked from the trees at Sage Fruit. Valley Fruit is one of the Orchards that supplies Sage Fruit with their apples – Valley Fruit alone employs about 1500 laborers throughout the year. There’s an art to picking apples & there’s most definitely an art to unloading the apples into the bins. The men & women picking the apples are harvesting up to 900 pounds of apples per person per hour! It’s incredible…
A bunch of magnificently grown apples doesn’t amount to much if you don’t have the dedicated labor for harvest. Apples are hand picked from the trees at Sage Fruit.
Valley Fruit is one of the Orchards that supplies Sage Fruit with their apples – Valley Fruit alone employs about 1500 laborers throughout the year. There’s an art to picking apples & there’s most definitely an art to unloading the apples into the bins. The men & women picking the apples are harvesting up to 900 pounds of apples per person per hour! It’s incredible…
After the apples are loaded into bins & onto the truck - it's time to bring them to the packing house. Terry meets the truck at the 1st wash station (yes, I said 1st - apples are washed several times after harvest at the packing house!) Terry's job is to take samples from each in-bound truck. She tests the apples for their starch levels & pressures. Based on her findings, she then makes the suggestion for where the apples should be stored at the warehouse - Regular Storage or Controlled Atmosphere Storage. She even makes suggestions on when the apples should be sent to retailers & what stage of each storage classification the apples should be placed. I told her she's the gatekeeper. Without her dedicated efforts, the FIFO system that is so important in the fresh produce industry literally starts with Terry! Again - if it weren't for Terry, the efforts of people like Andy & the hard working field laborers would be wasted. The apples could rot if not stored properly based off their starch levels & pressures. Important job.
After the apples are loaded into bins & onto the truck – it’s time to bring them to the packing house. Terry meets the truck at the 1st wash station (yes, I said 1st – apples are washed several times after harvest at the packing house!)
Terry’s job is to take samples from each in-bound truck. She tests the apples for their starch levels & pressures. Based on her findings, she then makes the suggestion for where the apples should be stored at the warehouse – Regular Storage or Controlled Atmosphere Storage. She even makes suggestions on when the apples should be sent to retailers & what stage of each storage classification the apples should be placed. I told her she’s the gatekeeper. The FIFO system that is so important in the fresh produce industry literally starts with Terry! Again – if it weren’t for Terry, the efforts of people like Andy & the hard working field laborers would be wasted. The apples could rot if not stored properly based off their starch levels & pressures. Important job.
Now we are in the packing house. Apples have to get washed & packed into boxes before they can find a home in Terry's recommended storage area. And of course Sage Fruit is dedicated to "an exceptional eating experience" & Randy is the Quality Control Manager - he makes sure the apples meet the strict criteria for Sage Fruit. Apples with blemishes are sent to juice. Randy also helps the staff in the warehouse understand & enforce the food safety practices that allow all of us to enjoy our Sage Fruit with confidence. Sage Fruit is known for quality & a big reason why is because of Randy's efforts. Can't eliminate his job, either.
Now we are in the packing house. Apples have to get washed & packed into boxes before they can find a home in Terry’s recommended storage area. Sage Fruit is dedicated to “an exceptional eating experience” & Randy is arguably the face behind this standard.   He is the Quality Control Manager – Randy makes sure the apples meet the strict criteria for Sage Fruit. Apples with blemishes are sent to juice.  Apples that meet standards are handled & packed with care.  Randy also helps the staff in the warehouse understand & enforce the food safety practices that allow consumers to enjoy Sage Fruit with confidence. Sage Fruit is known for quality & a big reason why is because of Randy’s efforts.
Once the apples get in the boxes, the Sage Fruit sales team goes to work. Here I am with Doug, who sells the apples to Indianapolis Fruit Company, which is where I work. Doug works with our apple buyer to stay competitive and keep our customers (the retailers where you shop) supplied with consistent quality and exceptional flavor. Sage isn't the only apple supplier in the game, either - so Doug works carefully with his accounts to stay competitive with the market & keep the Sage Fruit apples headed to the grocery stores. Relationships are essential at this stage of the apple supply chain. So is an understanding of market value, sales projections, and more. Apples aren't leaving that warehouse without people like Doug!
Once the apples get in the boxes, the Sage Fruit sales team goes to work. Here I am with Doug, who sells the apples to Indianapolis Fruit Company, which is where I work. Doug works with our apple buyer to stay competitive and keep our customers (the retailers where you shop) supplied with consistent quality and exceptional flavor. Sage isn’t the only apple supplier in the game, either – so Doug works carefully with his accounts to stay competitive with the market & keep the Sage Fruit apples headed to the grocery stores. Relationships are essential at this stage of the apple supply chain.  So is an understanding of market value, sales projections, and more. Apples aren’t leaving that warehouse without people like Doug!
Peter is one of the growers & founding members/owners of Sage Fruit. He planted that tree behind us when he was 11 years old during his Spring Break! Over 90% of America's farms are family-owned & family-farmed. Sage Fruit is proud to be a family-farmed business. Next time you see a Sage Fruit apples represent culture - both from the State of Washington & the family traditions that are shared between the owners and their valued team.
Peter is one of the growers & founding members/owners of Sage Fruit. He planted that tree behind us when he was 11 years old during his Spring Break! Over 90% of America’s farms are family owned & farmed. Sage Fruit is proud to be grower-owned & family-farmed. Sage Fruit apples represent culture… both from the State of Washington & the family traditions that are shared between the owners and their valued team.

Stay tuned for more information about apples – I have a few specific questions I plan to answer during this blog series.  These are questions I am constantly being asked about all produce, but especially apples.

  • Why do farmers use pesticides?
  • Why are apples waxed?
  • Are organic apples healthier than conventional apples?
  • What makes Washington Apples different from apples grown in other states?
  • How long and why are apples stored?

Feel free to email me at lori@theproducemoms.com if you have any questions you would like me to consider as we put together this “Apples Farm to Fork” blog series.  We have a lot to cover & it will be done gradually over the next month.

Thank you to my Partner of the Year for inviting me out to Washington! I am so impressed with the Sage Fruit team & operation! YAY!
Thank you to my Partner of the Year for inviting me out to Washington! I am so impressed with the Sage Fruit team & operation! YAY!

 

Happy National Apple Month!

xoxo Produce Mom

Lori Taylor

Author: Lori Taylor

Lori Taylor is the Founder & CEO of The Produce Moms. For ten years she sold fresh produce to over 300 grocery stores throughout the United States, and today she is fully focused on working with the produce supply chain, media, and government to increase fresh produce access & consumption in the US and around the globe. Connect with Lori on LinkedIn.

View all posts by Lori Taylor

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