What CMI Orchards does

CMI Orchards is a Wenatchee, Washington-based grower, packer, and marketer of fresh tree fruit — apples, pears, cherries, and certified organic produce — serving retail grocery chains, food-service operators, and wholesale distributors primarily across the U.S. Northwest. The company, founded in 1989 as a private LLC, operates a diversified branded portfolio spanning proprietary and licensed apple varieties (Ambrosia Gold, Cosmic Crisp, Envy, EverCrisp, Jazz, Kanzi, KIKU, SugarBee, Horizon), pear programs (GEM, Happy Bee), and cherry programs (XXL, Strawberry, SnoGem, Skylar Rae, Nature's Candy), supplemented by marketing programs such as American Dream, Flavogram, Crunchie Munchies, HERO, Relax!, and Flavor Fiesta. The November 2023 acquisition of Starr Ranch Growers expanded cherry capacity by 70% and enabled earlier and longer seasonal market presence in the Northwest cherry category.

Operationally, CMI's primary technology is its CMI SOARS regenerative-agriculture framework, formalized in 2024 in partnership with Royal Family Farming through The Soil Center — a facility that broke ground in summer 2024 and includes 14 acres of worm farms, three biochar reactors, and 40 acres of compost rows capable of upcycling 100,000+ tons of organic matter annually. The Soil Center underpins CMI's carbon-credit generation capability, producing approximately 350,000 credits in 2025 with a stated goal of 1 million verified credits per year by 2030, and powers the Planet Positive certification seal, which enables retail partners to claim carbon insets against their Scope 3 supply-chain emissions and supports a stated ambition to produce carbon-negative apples.

CMI's revenue model is the sale of fresh produce via direct enterprise relationships with major grocery retailers (Kroger is named in marketing campaigns), supplemented by wholesale produce markets and food-service distribution. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based, varying by season, variety, volume, and market conditions. There is no recurring software or subscription component; rather, the carbon-credit and Planet Positive programs are positioned as sustainability differentiators layered onto the underlying fresh-fruit transaction. The company is privately held as CMI Orchards, LLC, and headquartered in Wenatchee, Washington.

Name

CMI Orchards

Legal name

CMI Orchards, LLC

Website

https://cmiapples.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CMI Orchards is a Wenatchee, Washington-based grower and packer of apples, pears, cherries, and organic fruit, serving U.S. retail grocery, food-service, and wholesale customers through a broad branded portfolio and the Planet Positive regenerative-agriculture and carbon-credit program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Tree Fruit Production

NAICS

Apple Orchards (111331), Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Fruit & Tree Nut Farming (Orchards) (AFAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Fresh apple production
• Pear and cherry packing
• Organic fruit growing
• Regenerative agriculture farming
• Produce wholesale distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Wenatchee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fresh Fruit Sales: CMI Orchards generates revenue through the sale of fresh produce including apples, pears, cherries, and organic fruit varieties to retail grocery chains and food service providers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

CMI Orchards is a vertically integrated grower, packer, and marketer of fresh Northwest tree fruit, producing apples, pears, cherries, and certified organic fruit marketed under multiple branded programs (Ambrosia Gold, Cosmic Crisp, Envy, SugarBee, Kanzi, KIKU, Skylar Rae, XXL Cherries, Daisy Girl Organics, etc.). The company sells these fresh products to retail grocery chains, food service providers, and wholesale distributors, and operates The Soil Center regenerative-agriculture facility that generates carbon credits sold or inset via the Planet Positive certification to retail partners.

Product overview

CMI Orchards is a Wenatchee, Washington-based fruit grower offering a diversified portfolio of fresh produce organized into core fruit categories (Apples, Pears, Cherries) and an organic sub-brand (Daisy Girl Organics). The company operates multiple branded programs including American Dream, Flavors of the World, Crunchie Munchies, Flavogram, HERO, I'm Perfect, Nature's Candy, Relax!, and Flavor Fiesta, which market specific apple varieties by flavor profile, texture, or positioning. Their apple lineup includes proprietary and licensed varieties such as Ambrosia Gold, Cosmic Crisp, Envy, EverCrisp, Jazz, Kanzi, KIKU, SugarBee, and Horizon. Pear offerings include GEM Pears and Happy Bee Pears. Cherry products span XXL Cherries, Strawberry Cherries, SnoGem, and Skylar Rae. The company has also developed sustainability-focused initiatives including Planet Positive certification and The Soil Center regenerative agriculture facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ambrosia Gold: Apple variety brand
• American Dream
• Cosmic Crisp
• Crunchie Munchies
• Daisy Girl Organics
• Envy
• EverCrisp
• Flavogram
• GEM Pears
• Happy Bee
• HERO
• Horizon
• I'm Perfect
• Jazz
• Kanzi
• KIKU
• Planet Positive
• Relax!
• SugarBee
• Flavor Fiesta
• Nature's Candy
• Skylar Rae
• SnoGem
• Strawberry Cherries
• XXL Cherries
• The Soil Center

Products and services

• Apples Premium fresh apples sold to retail grocery chains, food service operators, and wholesale produce distributors under multiple branded variety and marketing programs (Ambrosia Gold, Cosmic Crisp, Envy, EverCrisp, Jazz, Kanzi, KIKU, SugarBee, Horizon, American Dream, Crunchie Munchies, Flavogram, HERO, I'm Perfect, Relax!, Flavor Fiesta).
• Pears Premium fresh pears sold to retail grocery chains, food service providers, and wholesale distributors, marketed under the GEM Pears and Happy Bee Pears branded programs.
• Cherries Premium fresh Northwest cherries (including XXL Cherries, Strawberry Cherries, Skylar Rae, and SnoGem branded programs) sold to retail grocery chains, food service operators, and wholesale distributors, with expanded seasonal availability following the November 2023 Starr Ranch Growers acquisition.
• Daisy Girl Organics Certified organic fresh apples, pears, and cherries sold under the Daisy Girl Organics sub-brand to retail grocery chains, food service operators, and wholesale distributors seeking certified-organic produce.
• Planet Positive Certification Sustainability certification and carbon-inset program offered to retail grocery partners, allowing them to reduce their own supply chain emissions through verified carbon insets tied to CMI Orchards' regenerative agriculture and carbon credit generation, supporting consumer-facing carbon-negative apple claims.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cherry supply increased by 70% following Starr Ranch acquisition
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal Family FarmingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023CMI Orchards partnered with Royal Family Farming to build The Soil Center, which broke ground in summer 2024. The facility represents a core strategic initiative for regenerative agriculture, designed to upcycle over 100,000 tons of organic matter annually. This partnership includes 14 acres of worm farms, three biochar reactors, and 40 acres of compost rows, supporting CMI's sustainability goals and carbon credit generation capabilities.
• World Wildlife FundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCMI Orchards participates in conservation efforts through Planet Positive certification programs that connect to broader environmental initiatives, allowing retail partners to support World Wildlife Fund conservation through carbon insets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stemilt Growers: Wenatchee, Washington-based grower-packer of apples, pears, and cherries, operating in the same growing region and serving the same enterprise retail and wholesale customers with overlapping branded programs (e.g., Rave, Piñata).
• Rainier Fruit Company: Yakima, Washington-based grower of apples, pears, cherries, and blueberries, with comparable varietal mix, sustainability positioning, and retail grocery customer base.
• Superfresh Growers (Domex Superfresh Growers): Yakima, Washington-based multi-category grower of apples, pears, and cherries serving the same retail grocery and food service channels, with comparable scale and organic offerings.
• Chelan Fresh Marketing: Chelan, Washington-based grower-marketer of apples, pears, and cherries organized around multiple branded programs (e.g., SugarBee, Rockit) — a direct rival for shelf space and varietal exclusivity.
• Sage Fruit Company: Yakima, Washington-based grower-packer of apples, pears, and cherries serving retail grocery with branded programs; directly comparable size, geography, and customer mix.
• Honeybear Brands: Apple and pear grower-packer (Minnesota/Washington operations) supplying retail grocery with branded varieties (e.g., Pazazz, Honeybear), operating a similar grower-network-plus-licensing model.

Emerging players

• Crunch Pak: Cashmere, Washington-based value-added sliced-apple company sourcing from regional growers; not a direct fresh-fruit competitor but a downstream value-add adjacency sharing the same Washington supply base.

Regional players

• New York Apple Sales: New York-based apple grower-marketer with branded programs (e.g., RubyFrost, SnapDragon); a peer in the apple club-variety/licensing model but serving a different growing region than CMI's Pacific Northwest footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Dole plc: Global fresh produce incumbent with broad category coverage including apples, pears, and cherries; competes for the same retail shelf space via diversified sourcing, but does not specialize in CMI's Northwest orchard niche.
• Driscoll's: Largest fresh berry marketer with a branded, retailer-direct model analogous to CMI's multi-brand approach; competes for retail ESG and shelf-space mindshare even though it operates in a different fresh produce category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cmiorchards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CMI Orchards