FirstFruits

What FirstFruits does

FirstFruits is a privately held, vertically integrated grower, packer, and shipper of fresh apples, cherries, and pears headquartered in Prescott, Washington. The company cultivates 10,000 combined acres across Washington and Michigan, producing 23 apple varieties, 7 pear varieties, and Rainier and Dark Sweet cherries — a footprint that represents approximately 5% of total U.S. apple production. Its core operations span a 4,300-acre contiguous Prescott orchard (described as one of the largest in the United States), a Yakima office producing over 500,000 boxes of pears annually, and additional acreage at Wallula and Benton City. The company maintains wholesale-grade packing facilities capable of 8,000+ boxes per day and 1.1 million square feet of on-site warehouse space, alongside 11 million square feet of controlled atmosphere and cold storage with CO2, oxygen, and nitrogen monitoring. It holds registered trademarks on proprietary apple club varieties Opal® (launched 2010) and Sweetie™, and on the Gem Drops™ cherry packaging brand.

FirstFruits operates a B2B go-to-market model, selling fresh fruit directly to retail grocery chains through a dedicated in-house sales and marketing team established in 2009, with East Coast and West Coast Business Development Manager coverage. A 2023 acquisition of Michigan-based Applewood Fresh created a multi-regional supply entity under a unified FirstFruits brand, and a strategic sales partnership with Belding Fruit Storage (announced 2026-05-19) extends reach into the Midwest and East Coast with over 500,000 bushels of additional storage capacity. The company runs parallel cause-marketing programs — Take a Bite Out of Hunger (founded 2010, over 2.5 million pounds of apples donated to food banks) and Youth Make a Difference (funded through Opal purchases, grants to youth-led nonprofits) — and employee-focused programs including on-site childcare (1988), the Vista Hermosa housing community (1990, 800+ residents), and an employee health clinic (2015).

The company was founded in 1980, was purchased by new private owners described as 'teachers who prioritize people' in 2019, and is currently privately held with 2,800+ workers across combined Washington and Michigan operations. Revenue is generated through one-time wholesale transactions to enterprise retail buyers; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is actively operating and expanding rather than restructuring or in decline.

Name

FirstFruits

Legal name

FirstFruits Farms

Website

https://firstfruits.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

FirstFruits is a privately held, vertically integrated grower, packer, and shipper of apples, cherries, and pears, operating 10,000 acres across Washington and Michigan (~5% of U.S. apple production), supplying retail grocery chains through proprietary club varieties and direct enterprise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Fruit Production

NAICS

Apple Orchards (111331)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Stone Fruit Orchards (Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Cherries, Apricots) (AFAGACAC)

Keywords

• Apple growing
• Pear production
• Cherry packing
• Fresh fruit distribution
• Controlled atmosphere storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Prescott

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fresh Fruit Sales: Revenue generated from growing, packing and selling fresh apples, cherries, and pears to retailers across the United States and globally

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FirstFruits is a vertically integrated grower, packer, and shipper of fresh apples, cherries, and pears operating more than 10,000 acres across Washington and Michigan. The company offers 23 apple varieties (including proprietary Opal® and Sweetie™), seven pear varieties, and Dark Sweet and Rainier cherries in exclusive Gem Drops™ packaging, distributing directly to retail grocery chains in the United States and global markets.

Product overview

FirstFruits is a multi-regional fruit supply entity formed in 2023 when Washington's FirstFruits Farms acquired Michigan's Applewood Fresh. The company operates as a vertically integrated grower, packer, and shipper offering three core product lines: apples (23 varieties including proprietary Opal®), pears (7 varieties), and cherries (Rainier and Dark Sweet with exclusive Gem Drops™ packaging). They provide combined supply solutions across both regions through one seamless supply experience, alongside philanthropic programs including Youth Make a Difference and Take a Bite Out of Hunger.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Applewood Fresh: Michigan-based apple grower, packer, and shipper acquired in 2023, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
• Gem Drops

Products and services

• Apples Premium conventional and organic apples grown across more than 10,000 combined acres in Washington and Michigan, offered in 23 varieties including Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Opal®, Sweetie™, and Cosmic Crisp for retail grocery customers.
• Pears Fresh pears produced through the Yakima office at over half a million boxes per year, available in seven varieties including Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou, Comice, Seckel, Forelle, and Red D'Anjous for retail grocery customers.
• Cherries Fresh Northwest cherries harvested at peak freshness, including Dark Sweet and Rainier varieties, available in exclusive Gem Drops™ packaging with bold seasonal colors for retail grocery customers.
• Opal® Apple Trademarked proprietary non-GMO apple variety with a distinctive yellow color and sweet, crunchy flavor, exclusive to FirstFruits and sold to retail grocery customers as a differentiated yellow apple offering.
• Gem Drops™ Cherries Exclusive cherry packaging brand under FirstFruits featuring bold, colorful designs inspired by vibrant seasonal colors, available in Dark Sweet and Rainier varieties in clamshell and pouch bag formats for retail grocery customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5 million pounds of fresh apples donated to those in need
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Belding Fruit Storage, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Applewood Fresh (FirstFruits subsidiary) serves as the sales and marketing function for Belding Fruit's apple program. The partnership combines two long-standing Michigan apple organizations with over half a million bushels of storage capacity, aiming to strengthen supply capabilities throughout the Midwest and East Coast while offering customers expanded access to conventional and specialty apple varieties including Honeycrisp, EverCrisp, and SweeTango.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rainier Fruit Company: Pacific Northwest grower of apples, pears, and cherries with organic and conventional programs and branded varieties. Direct competitor in the same core SKUs sold to U.S. grocery retailers.
• Stemilt Growers: Washington-based vertically integrated grower, packer, and shipper of apples, pears, and cherries, with proprietary varieties and a national retail program. Closest direct peer to FirstFruits given the overlap in crop mix, geography, and go-to-market.
• Domex Superfresh Growers: Vertically integrated Washington grower of apples, pears, and cherries supplying U.S. and export retail channels. Direct overlap in product mix, geography, and customer base.
• Honeybear Brands: Apple and pear grower-marketer with proprietary varieties such as Pazazz and Tropic Sweet, selling into national retail. Strong comparison for FirstFruits' branded, cause-marketing-driven apple strategy.
• Riveridge Produce Marketing: Michigan-based apple grower-packer-shipper representing a significant share of Michigan fresh apples. Highly relevant comparison to FirstFruits' Applewood Fresh (Michigan) operations and Belding Fruit partnership.
• BelleHarvest: Michigan apple grower, packer, and storage operator; FirstFruits' newly announced Belding Fruit Storage sales partner. Direct comparable in the Michigan apple segment that FirstFruits has explicitly targeted for growth.
• Crunch Time Apple Growers: New York-based apple cooperative marketing proprietary club varieties (SnapDragon, RubyFrost). Direct comparison point for FirstFruits' proprietary Opal and Sweetie apple strategy.
• McDougall & Sons: Washington-based family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of apples, pears, and cherries. Comparable size and vertically integrated operating model.
• CMI Orchards: Washington-based apple grower-packer-shipper with a comparable U.S. market share position and an extensive branded and club-variety portfolio (KIKU, Envy, Jazz, Ambrosia). Closely comparable scale and product mix.
• Starr Ranch Growers: Pacific Northwest apple and pear grower-packer-shipper serving U.S. and international retail. Comparable crop mix and vertically integrated structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firstfruits-farms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about FirstFruits