Washington State Fruit Commission

What Washington State Fruit Commission does

The Washington State Fruit Commission is a Washington State agency established in 1947 under RCW 15.28 to promote, develop, and support the state's soft tree fruit industry. It is funded by mandatory annual assessments levied on all commercial soft tree fruit growers in Washington and operates marketing programs for Northwest Cherries, Processed Northwest Pears, and Washington-grown apricots, nectarines, peaches, prunes, and plums. The Commission coordinates domestic retail marketing through regional managers and international marketing through a global network of country-specific representatives, and it publishes the Good Fruit Grower magazine (founded 1946) twelve times a year to a subscriber base spanning every U.S. state and 43 countries.

The Commission's product surface is a portfolio of marketing programs, an industry publication, and shared administrative services rather than a technology platform. It provides back-office, accounting, and administrative support to at least eight affiliated industry organizations, including Northwest Cherry Growers, the Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service, the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, and two federal marketing order committees (Cherry #923 and Processed Pear #927). Its go-to-market combines bottom-of-funnel direct sales to national and regional retailers and packers/shippers, mid-funnel grower events such as the Cherry Institute and NCW Stone Fruit Day, and top-of-funnel content marketing through Good Fruit Grower and recipe-driven consumer websites.

The business model is a state-mandated assessment-based funding stream (subscription-recurring in nature) rather than commercial pricing. Governance is via a 17-member board (ten producers, four dealers, two processors, and a WSDA representative), and the organization is led by President Eric Patrick following the December 2025 retirement of longtime President B.J. Thurlby. Headcount is in the 20+ range and the Commission is headquartered in Yakima, Washington, the center of one of the world's top tree fruit growing regions. No AI/ML capabilities, software products, or app offerings are associated with the organization.

Name

Washington State Fruit Commission

Legal name

Washington State Fruit Commission

Website

https://wastatefruit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Washington State Fruit Commission is a Washington State agency, founded in 1947, that promotes and develops markets for the state's soft tree fruits (cherries, pears, apricots, nectarines, peaches, prunes, plums) using funds collected via mandatory grower assessments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Marketing Services

NAICS

Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113), Noncitrus Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (11133)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Pome Fruit Orchards (Apples, Pears, Quinces) (AFAGACAB)

Keywords

• Fruit marketing commission
• Agricultural promotion services
• Tree fruit industry
• Grower assessment funding
• Commodity marketing board

Headquarters

HQ city

Yakima

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Grower Assessments: The Commission is funded by annual assessments levied upon all commercial soft tree fruits grown in Washington State or packed as Washington soft tree fruit. This is a mandatory industry fee system where producers contribute to fund promotion, market development, research, and education programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Washington State Fruit Commission is a state agency that markets and promotes Washington-grown soft tree fruits, including Northwest Cherries, Processed Northwest Pears, and Washington stone fruits (apricots, nectarines, peaches, prunes, plums). It delivers these services through domestic and international promotion programs, marketing order administration, consumer education, the Good Fruit Grower magazine, and administrative services to allied industry organizations. Activities are funded by mandatory annual grower assessments on commercial soft tree fruit production in Washington State.

Product overview

The Washington State Fruit Commission is a state agency established in 1947 that operates as a marketing and promotion organization for Northwest soft tree fruits. The Commission's portfolio includes multiple marketing programs: Northwest Cherries (fresh sweet cherries with both domestic and international promotion), Processed Northwest Pears (canned pears with dedicated recipe resources), and Washington Stone Fruits (Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, Prunes, and Plums). The Commission also publishes the Good Fruit Grower magazine (established 1946), provides administrative services to eight industry organizations, and operates grower education programs. The organization is funded by grower assessments and focuses on promotion, market development, research, and education for soft fruits grown in Washington State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Northwest Cherries: Marketing brand for fresh cherries grown in the Northwest region including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah.
• Good Fruit Grower

Products and services

• Northwest Cherries Marketing Program Domestic and international marketing and promotion program for fresh sweet cherries grown in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. Targets consumers and trade partners to drive demand for Northwest sweet cherries.
• Processed Northwest Pears Marketing Program Marketing and promotion program for canned and processed pears from the Pacific Northwest, including consumer-facing recipe resources and trade support.
• Washington Stone Fruits Marketing Program Marketing and promotion program covering Washington-grown apricots, nectarines, peaches, prunes, and plums, supported by consumer-facing recipe content and trade education.
• Good Fruit Grower Magazine Industry magazine covering growing, packing, handling, marketing, and promotion of tree fruits. Published 12 times annually with subscribers in every U.S. state and 43 countries, plus online access to current issue and archives.
• Administrative Services for Industry Organizations Administrative and accounting services provided to eight allied industry organizations and federal marketing order committees serving the Northwest soft tree fruit sector.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Northwest Cherry GrowerscoreOthersThe Commission provides administrative and accounting services to Northwest Cherry Growers, coordinating marketing and promotion efforts for cherry producers in the Northwest region.
• Good Fruit GrowercoreOthersThe Commission publishes the Good Fruit Grower magazine, established in 1946, which covers growing, packing, handling, marketing, and promotion of tree fruits with subscribers in every U.S. State and 43 countries.
• Pacific Northwest Canned Pear ServicecoreOthersThe Commission provides administrative services to the Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service, supporting the canned pear industry's marketing and promotion activities.
• Processed Pear Committee (Marketing Order #927)coreOthersThe Commission administers the Processed Pear Committee which handles marketing order provisions relating to the handling of pears for processing.
• Washington Cherry Marketing Committee (Marketing Order #923)coreOthersThe Commission administers the Washington Cherry Marketing Committee which establishes grade, size, and pack regulations for fresh sweet cherries from designated counties in Washington.
• Washington State Tree Fruit AssociationcoreOthersThe Commission provides administrative services to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association.
• Washington Tree Fruit Research CommissioncoreOthersThe Commission provides administrative services to the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.
• Washington-Oregon Canning Pear AssociationcoreOthersThe Commission provides administrative services to the Washington-Oregon Canning Pear Association.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-state-fruit-commiss

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries8 records

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 Washington State Fruit Commission