Linda Fruit extends Crunch Pak’s fruit expertise into the fresh market
Linda Fruit announced its launch today as a natural extension of the fruit expertise and capabilities developed through Crunch Pak’s more than two decades in the fresh-cut fruit business.
By leveraging an established distribution network, transportation expertise, and customer reach, Linda Fruit can support efficient movement of fresh fruit to customers while complementing the sourcing, grower relationships, and value-added capabilities developed through Crunch Pak.
Based in Wenatchee, Washington, with orchards throughout Washington and grower partners in Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, Linda Fruit extends those capabilities into the fresh whole-fruit market. The business is focused on premium quality, consistent supply, and creating additional opportunities across the crop.
As the fruit industry continues to evolve, Linda Fruit sees an opportunity to build on existing capabilities and relationships in ways that can create additional value for growers, customers, and industry partners.
Linda Fruit strives to provide growers with certainty amid a volatile market
Linda Fruit’s model is designed to provide growers with a clear path to market and a timely return for their crop by contracting the fruit. This provides greater certainty while allowing Linda Fruit to focus on finding the right use and value opportunity for fruit across fresh and value-added channels.
The highest-quality apples are selected for the fresh market, while fruit with less color or cosmetic imperfections may find additional opportunities through Crunch Pak in fresh slices, purée, dried, powder and other value-added products. This whole-crop approach is designed to put more of the fruit to productive use and make thoughtful use of the land, water, energy, time and care that went into growing it.
“We know firsthand how much work goes into growing a good crop,” said Mike Auvil, General Manager of Linda Fruit. “Linda Fruit gives us an opportunity to build on capabilities and relationships that already exist within the Crunch Pak business. Our focus is on being a dependable partner and finding the right opportunities for fruit while creating value for growers, customers and industry partners.”
“We believe premium should mean something,” said Catherine Gipe-Stewart, Director of Sales and Marketing for Linda Fruit. “It starts with exceptional fruit, but it also means confidence in quality, consistency and supply, and having a partner who understands your business. We want to build strong, long-term relationships with our customers and growers and continue looking for ways to create value together.”
The whole-crop approach is designed to create value across more of what growers produce while making thoughtful use of the resources that went into growing it. For growers, that can mean additional market opportunities. For customers, it means access to consistent, high-quality fruit and dependable supply. Across the broader business, it creates flexibility to match fruit with the channel where it is best suited.
“Growing fruit is a long-term business. You must take care of the land, take care of the people and build relationships that last,” Auvil said. “That same mindset is behind Linda Fruit. We see it as a thoughtful extension of what Crunch Pak has built over many years, creating additional opportunities while respecting and complementing the relationships that already exist across the industry.”
Linda Fruit is currently focused on apples, with plans to continue building its tree fruit business and expanding relationships with growers and customers over time.
*All images courtesy of Linda Fruit.
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