ORONDO, WA - 90 years ago this month, Grady Auvil founded Auvil Fruit Company with just 22-acres and the dream of providing consumers with beautiful, nutritious, wholesome fruit. Alongside his brothers, Robert and David, Grady cultivated the land by hand, planting apples, apricots, and Bartlett pears.
“We’re very proud of our heritage here at Auvil Fruit Company, and we continue to strive for excellence in the future. ‘Where Passion Meets Flavor’ is not just a tagline or motto, for us it’s the driving force behind all we do here at Auvil Fruit Company,” Ray Norwood, Director of Sales, recently shared with me.
By its 10th anniversary, Auvil Fruit Company had doubled its orchard acreage and introduced its Red Haven peaches to the Northwest. The Auvil brothers continued to innovate, planting new varieties, learning new methods, and rebuilding their orchard on higher ground to accommodate the Rocky Reach Dam in the 1950s.
In the 1960s, the company co-founded the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, which continues to guide Washington State Legislature and standards concerning research and applied science in the tree fruit industry today, according to a press release. But it was the introduction of the Granny Smith apples and being amongst the first companies to successfully market Rainier Cherries that was perhaps the apex of Auvil Fruit Company’s cultural influence.
Governor Gary Locke presented Grady, for his perseverance and dedication, with Washington state’s highest honor, the Washington Medal of Merit in 1998.
From its humble beginnings, Auvil Fruit Company has grown more than 100-fold to 2,400 acres. The company hopes for another 90 years of effecting its philosophy “Where Passion Meets Flavor.”
Congratulations to the company and its team on this milestone achievement!
