Stemilt Celebrates 60th Anniversary and Founding Father’s Legacy

A small family farm started on Stemilt Hill in Wenatchee, WA, with a dream and just 10 acres of apples, pears and cherries. Today, Stemilt Growers is a global producer of fruit.

The tree fruit grower celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2024, looking back at its family history and forward to a future of freshness and innovation.

“One thing that is deeply seated in Stemilt’s roots and culture is a promise my grandfather, Tom Mathison, made to himself after he returned from World War II,” says West Mathison, president.

“As he was lying in a ditch for 18 hours, he promised he would not let worry get in the way of his life anymore. He was just a high school dropout living on Stemilt Hill who had to overcome many adversities in his lifetime, but he never let these things stop him from supporting his family and making a mark in the industry. I think it’s that same curiosity and strong drive to innovate that Tom had that we still carry with us at Stemilt.”

One of young Tom’s greatest challenges, and a pivotal point in Stemilt’s history, was the cherry crop disaster of 1958. That year, Tom received a mere $88 on his 100-ton cherry crop.

In 1959, he followed his cherries to the New York market to find they had lost their luster from the journey. That same year, he traveled to California to study how Italian families harvested cherries.

“After he learned some new harvest techniques, he brought them to the family co-op, who turned him down because they didn’t have the money at the time to build a cold chain or hire a larger crew,” says Tate Mathison, vice president of sales and marketing. “My grandmother spelled it out plainly for him saying ‘Tommy, you figure out what’s wrong and fix it, or go get a job to support this family.’ He had two choices in that moment, and he chose to fix his problems.”

In 1964, Tom founded Stemilt Growers and began packing his own cherries in a small-scale facility that he constructed. After his first year as a grower-packer, one buyer followed Tom’s cherries all the way back to Washington State because he had to see where these cherries came from. They were crisp, red and firm and nothing like anything he had seen before.

Today, Stemilt is one of the largest employers in the Wenatchee Valley. Innovation remains a strong pillar at Stemilt, with in-house research and development that has led the grower to brand and market new varieties in recent years, such as Rave apples, Happi Pear and Aura apples.

To provide a sustainable solution for selling bulk organic apples, in 2023, Stemilt released a recyclable four-pack of apples, called EZ Band, that is meant to be easy to stock, shop and help retailers capture organic ring at the register.

“Tom wanted to go to market with Stemilt, but he was also a big collaborator and wanted to advance quality for the industry as a whole,” says West Mathison. “Because of Tom, Stemilt has carried on his legacy of overcoming adversity and adjusting to the challenges you face as a grower.”

To celebrate its family legacy, Stemilt marked its official anniversary, Jan. 31, 2024, with birthday party festivities.

“The 60th anniversary celebration was a special occasion for everyone at Stemilt, and is made possible by our Stemilters, growers, and partner customers that have been part of our journey,” says West Mathison. “Every one of our Stemilters, growers, customers and consumers are part of this generational journey. With freshness as our guiding post, we hope to continue to delight the world with world-famous fruit for years to come.”