Moonlight Companies’ George Papangellin Discusses How Retailers Increasingly Value Multi-Region Organic Stonefruit Supply; Washington Program Begins

CALIFORNIA & WASHINGTON - With a multi-state strategy for conventional and organic stonefruit, Moonlight Companies is moving through its geographically diverse program as it launches its Washington State deal. With the Pacific Northwest's cool nights, the orchards thrive with fewer growing pressures and a microclimate suited to clean organic growing.

"Retailers increasingly value multi-region organic stone fruit supply," says George Papangellin, Strategic Growth Manager. "In organic stonefruit, finding meaningful volume across multiple growing regions is about as rare a sighting as Bigfoot."

That diversity is more than a logistics hedge. Spreading organic acreage across California and Washington lets Moonlight hold quality and supply steady when weather turns against any one region—an advantage that compounds as buyers lean on fewer suppliers to carry a category across a longer window.

"Geographic diversity isn't just about protecting against weather events," says George Papangellin. "It's also about following quality. Different growing regions shine at different times of the season, and our goal is to be where the best fruit is being grown. Washington's cool nights and growing conditions give us an opportunity to deliver outstanding organic stone fruit later in the season. It's a natural extension of what we do in California, not a replacement for it."

For retail partners, the northern launch widens an already long runway. It is the back half of what the company calls Seven Months of Summer, and it hands buyers a valuable position in the stronefruit category.

Moonlight is betting that shoppers still want something to believe in at the produce set—that a peach can carry a place, a season, a story worth the telling. From the Central Valley to the cool nights up North, that is the bet the company keeps making.

With more than three decades in the produce business, George Papangellin has witnessed the evolution of the stone fruit category firsthand—from regional seasonal programs to today's year-round focus on quality, flavor, and supply continuity.

Now, retailer partners get to experience the fruit of that labor.