J. Frank Schmit and Son Co

What J. Frank Schmit and Son Co does

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. is a family-owned wholesale deciduous tree nursery founded in 1946 in Troutdale, Oregon, now headquartered at Hood Acres Farm near Boring, Oregon. The company produces and ships more than 1.5 million trees annually across approximately 3,000 acres of Oregon farmland, leveraging multiple microclimates (Boring/Gresham, Canby in the Willamette Valley, and Milton-Freewater in northeastern Oregon) to grow more than 500 varieties and cultivars of shade, flowering, ornamental, and fruit trees. Its product surface includes bare root whips, branched shade and flowering trees, balled & burlapped (B&B) trees, containerized trees, VigorLiner® container-grown trees for difficult-to-transplant species, Root Pouch® fabric containers, multi-stem and weeping forms, the UtiliTrees™ designation for utility-line-compatible urban trees, and a full fruit tree program. Notable proprietary technology includes the patented Grow-Straight® Plant Growth Control Stake (since 1975) and the 1984-pioneered containerization technique that extends the selling season to year-round.

The business operates a wholesale-only B2B model with a $3,250 minimum order, distributing through regional sales representatives, an inside sales team, refrigerated truck shipping across the U.S. and Canada, a network of 385+ retail nursery and garden center partners, and international licensees in Australia, Europe, and Asia. Customer segments are licensed wholesale nurseries (which grow on or finish trees for resale), retail garden centers, and landscape contractors and designers. The company has introduced more than 115 proprietary tree cultivars through its R&D program, including Red Sunset® Maple (the top-selling red maple in the U.S. for more than 50 years), Redpointe® Maple, and Royal Raindrops® Crabapple, and holds registered trademarks for VigorLiner®, Root Pouch®, and UtiliTrees™. It acquired Milton Nursery in 1967 for its 90-year grafted fruit tree operation and remains closely held by second- and third-generation family members, with Frank III as Chair of the Board and Jan Schmidt as Chair of the Frank & Evelyn Schmidt Family Foundation following a 2020 leadership transition.

Name

J. Frank Schmit and Son Co

Legal name

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.

Website

https://jfschmidt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. is a family-owned wholesale deciduous tree nursery in Oregon that grows and ships more than 1.5 million shade, flowering, ornamental, and fruit trees annually across 3,000 acres to wholesale nurseries, garden centers, and landscape contractors in North America and via international licensees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Tree Nursery

NAICS

Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (11321)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Nursery Production (Woody Ornamentals: Trees, Shrubs, Roses) (AFAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seedling & Sapling Production (Bare-Root) (AFAMADAC), Forest Nurseries, Seed Orchards & Genetic Improvement (AFAMAAAD), Vegetative Propagation (Cuttings, Clonal Forestry, Tissue Culture) (AFAMADAE)

Keywords

• Wholesale tree nursery
• Deciduous shade trees
• Bare root trees
• Ornamental nursery stock
• Containerized trees

Headquarters

HQ city

Boring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Tree Sales: Primary revenue from wholesale sale of deciduous shade, flowering, and ornamental trees. Products sold include bare root trees, containerized trees, balled & burlapped (B&B) trees, root bag trees, VigorLiner® trees, and large caliper trees. Majority of trees harvested bare root during winter dormancy and shipped in refrigerated trucks. Minimum order $3,250.
2. UtiliTrees™ Designation Program: Specialty designation for trees suited for planting under utility lines and in restricted urban zones. Trees meeting specifications for small stature, disease resistance, and urban tolerance receive UtiliTrees branding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. is a wholesale-only deciduous tree nursery that grows, propagates, and ships bare root, containerized, balled & burlapped (B&B), root bag, and VigorLiner® shade, flowering, ornamental, and fruit trees from approximately 3,000 acres of Oregon farmland. The company produces 1.5 million+ trees annually across 500+ varieties and cultivars, selling exclusively to licensed wholesale nurseries, landscape contractors, and a network of 385+ retail garden centers across the U.S. and Canada, with international cultivar licensing in Australia, Europe, and Asia.

Product overview

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. is a wholesale tree nursery offering a comprehensive portfolio of deciduous shade, flowering, and ornamental trees. The company's product portfolio spans multiple product lines including bare root trees (Whips, Branched Shade Trees, Branched Flowering Trees, Light Branched Trees), specialty forms (Weeping & Head Grade Trees, Multi-Stem Clumps, Birch Singles for Clumping), and containerized offerings (Balled & Burlapped Trees, Containerized Trees, VigorLiner, Root Bags). The UtiliTrees designation identifies trees suited for utility line corridors. The company has introduced over 115 tree cultivars to the marketplace including Redpointe Maple, Royal Raindrops Crabapple, and Crimson Sunset Maple. Fruit trees include apples, cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, and specialty crosses like Pluots and Plerrys. Trees are sold exclusively wholesale with a minimum order of $3,250.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UtiliTrees: A trademarked designation for trees best suited for planting in restricted zones between street and sidewalk and beneath utility lines, with mature heights unlikely to tangle with overhead lines.
• VigorLiner
• Root Pouch
• JFS TreeTV

Products and services

• Whips One-year-old tree tops ranging from unbranched to lightly branched on the lower stem, including Ash, Linden, Honeylocust, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Red Maples, Sugar Maples, and Crabapples. Sold to wholesale growers for lining out and finishing.
• Branched Flowering Trees Two-year-old Flowering Crabapples, Cherries, Hawthorns, Flowering Pear, Plums, Snowbell and others with established central leaders and heavy branch structure for garden center and grower needs.
• Branched Shade Trees Trees including Honeylocust, Ash, Birch, Linden, Oak and Maple with naturally straight central leaders and radiating lateral branches. 6-8ft grade trees are typically two years old.
• Light Branched Trees Economical trees with same caliper as regular branched grade but with fewer and/or shorter branches. Suitable for growers who thin and prune at planting time.
• Weeping & Head Grade Trees Weeping and top-grafted forms of Flowering Cherry, Crabapple, Redbud and compact forms of Crabapple, Cherry, Hydrangea, Tree Lilac. Graded by head quality from Heavy Select to #2 head grades.
• Multi-Stem, Clump and Singles for Clumping Trees grown with multiple stems including Maples, Redbud, Crabapples, Serviceberries. Clump forms created by arranging individual young plants within containers for Birch, Aspen and Goldenrain Trees.
• Birch Singles for Clumping Bare root birch liners designated for developing finished clump-form trees. Graded by height and caliper, they can be planted in field or containers with reduced royalty for custom clump creation.
• Balled & Burlapped Trees B&B trees suitable for lining out in field, landscape installation, immediate garden center sales, or containerizing. Complements bare root production for difficult-to-handle varieties.
• Containerized Trees Deciduous trees field grown to nearly finished size, then harvested bare root and established in containers with bark medium. Available in #5 to #25 plastic pots and 28-32 inch plastic-lined wire baskets.
• VigorLiner® Container Trees Deciduous trees difficult to produce via traditional bare root methods, grown in special containers that produce optimal root systems for each species and cultivar.
• Root Bag Trees Field-grown trees in fabric containers with better survival rates and more vigorous first season growth. Roots penetrate fabric causing proliferation of carbohydrate-rich roots. Made from 100% recycled materials.
• UtiliTrees™ Designation Trademarked designation for trees best suited for planting in restricted zones between street and sidewalk and beneath utility lines, with mature heights unlikely to tangle with overhead lines, disease and pest resistance, and minimal maintenance requirements.
• Fruit Trees Complete range of fruit trees including Apple, Apricot, Asian Pear, Cherry, Nectarine, Peach, Persimmon, Pluerry, Pluot, Plum, Prune, and Pear varieties. Available in bare root and containerized options with specialty rootstocks.
• JFS Tree Introductions Company-introduced proprietary tree cultivars. Over 115 new trees have been introduced to the nursery trade, including Redpointe Maple, Crimson Sunset Maple, Urban Sunset Maple, Royal Raindrops Crabapple, Urban Pinnacle Oak, Streetspire Oak, Sparkling Sprite Crabapple, Ruby Dayze Crabapple, Emerald City Tulip Tree, and American Dream Oak.

Quantifiable outcome

• Redpointe® Maple and Royal Raindrops® Crabapple became best-selling trees in the nursery industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

One partnership is on record.

• International Licensees (Australia, Europe, Asia)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerJFS partners with international licensees in Australia, Europe, and Asia to make select cultivars available around the world through licensing agreements.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Carlton Plants: Wholesale grower of bare root shade, flowering, and ornamental trees as well as shrubs, headquartered in Oregon. Directly comparable as a Pacific Northwest wholesale nursery focused on field-grown deciduous trees sold to the same landscape and nursery trade.
• Bailey Nurseries: One of the largest wholesale nurseries in North America, producing woody ornamental shrubs and trees across multiple U.S. regions and selling to landscape professionals and retailers. Directly comparable as a multi-generation wholesale nursery with a broad deciduous and flowering tree portfolio.
• Monrovia Nursery Company: Premium wholesale nursery specializing in container-grown ornamental shrubs, trees, and perennials sold through independent garden centers and landscape professionals. Comparable as a brand-driven wholesale nursery with proprietary plant introductions and a wide product range.
• Willoway Nurseries: Ohio-based wholesale nursery producing container-grown landscape trees and shrubs, selling to landscape contractors and garden centers in the Midwest and Northeast. Comparable as a regional wholesale nursery focused on landscape-grade trees.
• Dave Wilson Nursery: Largest wholesale grower of fruit, nut, and shade trees in the United States, selling bare root and containerized stock to nurseries and garden centers. Highly comparable as a California-based wholesale nursery with a strong deciduous tree and fruit tree focus.
• C.M. Hobbs & Sons: Indiana-based wholesale nursery growing container and balled-and-burlapped shade and ornamental trees for landscape contractors. Comparable as a wholesale deciduous tree grower serving the same landscape trade channel.
• L.E. Cooke Co. Wholesale grower of deciduous shade, flowering, and fruit trees in California, selling bare root and containerized stock to nurseries and retailers. Comparable as a multi-generation wholesale nursery with a similar deciduous tree portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Star Roses and Plants: Wholesale nursery brand under Ball Horticultural Company offering branded roses, woody plants, and perennials to garden centers. Comparable as a broad nursery industry player with branded genetics and a wholesale go-to-market, though with a stronger focus on flowering and perennial categories.

Emerging players

• Heritage Tree Company: Specialty wholesale nursery producing select ornamental and rare deciduous trees. Comparable in product category but smaller in scale, representing an emerging challenger in the shade and flowering tree wholesale segment.

Regional players

• Siebenthaler Nurseries: Ohio-based nursery producing and selling landscape trees, shrubs, and perennials to landscape professionals and retail customers in the Midwest. Comparable in product mix but with a more regional go-to-market and stronger retail orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/jfstrees
• YouTubeyoutube.com/jfstrees
• Facebookfacebook.com/jfstrees
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/j.-frank-schmit-and-son-co
• Instagraminstagram.com/jfstrees

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 J. Frank Schmit and Son Co