Stemilt Growers, a family-owned company based in Wenatchee, WA, has long been recognized as a leader in the production and distribution of premium tree fruits. The company is now setting a new standard in the industry by revolutionizing produce packaging. In partnership with Felins, Inc., Stemilt has introduced an innovative paper-based packaging solution for their organic apples to US markets, a move that aligns with their commitment to sustainability and quality. Stemilt’s Marketing Director, Brianna Shales, offers insight into the project.
Company Details
- Stemilt Growers
- Location: Wenatchee, WA
- Employees: 1,600 – 4,000
- Website: www.stemilt.com
A DEEP-ROOTED FAMILY LEGACY
Stemilt Growers is more than just a business; it’s a family legacy. Established in 1964 by the Mathison family, the business has spanned six generations over 100 years. Today, Stemilt is still family owned and operated, their values going hand in hand with their mission: to cultivate people and delight consumers through excellence with its World Famous Fruit. As the nation’s leader in sweet cherries in volume and season length, a pioneer in organic tree fruits, and a key supplier of apples and pears, the company operates with a strong ethos centered around sustainability, quality, and innovation.
Employing over 1,600 full-time employees and more than 4,000 during harvest season, Stemilt is vertically integrated with orchard, packing, and shipping operations, spanning the states of Washington and California.
A GREENER FUTURE WITH EVERY APPLE
Stemilt in collaboration with its partners, including Felins, Inc., developed the EZ Band packaging – a solution that uses paper-based bands and trays instead of traditional plastic bags for large-sized organic apples.
“Stemilt had been looking at banded packaging options for a bit and then made the strategic decision to develop a product with a band for large-sized organic apples,” Shales explains. “We reached out to Felins because of their expertise in this area, and after going through samples, we felt this was the best option from upholding our product integrity and quality standards.”
Four apples are placed in a paper tray, then secured and labeled with a paper band. This type of packaging, which started in Europe, was a novel concept for the North American market.
Shifts in the US markets were also driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, when packaged produce became the preferred option for consumers. The EZ Band packaging offers function and form. The bright design complements the produce, the materials are easy to recycle, and retailers love the ease in which the package can be scanned versus requiring an item lookup in the checkout lane and self-checkout lanes.
Introducing a new packaging solution is never without challenges. For Stemilt, the primary hurdles were related to developing consistent demand from retailers in order to reach a volume that would drive down costs. This led to another challenge at the retail level where price adjustments had to move at the right model to suit the North American market, where consumers are accustomed to buying apples by the pound rather than in prepackaged sets.
“We also worked with Felins to reduce costs of the package and streamline the supply chain and ordering process. It’s difficult to go from 0 of a package to many more in a short amount of time, but they were willing to dig into the numbers and work with us because they saw this as a long-term partnership,” says Shales.
There were also some learning curves at the production level. “Packing pre-sized apples into trays with the band required some adjustments, but our production team is always adept at finding efficiency gains,” explains Shales.
“The Felins team has always been responsive to our concerns.”
“One of the earliest concerns we had was on the sealing of the band, and they were able to quickly resolve that by sending a technician to us to help improve the seal and train our staff on best utilizing the equipment.”
Lisa Hurtz, Food Industry Banding Sales Manager at Felins, Inc., was an integral part of the collaboration from concept to launch.
“It’s been amazing watching this project take off!” says Hurtz.
“And it’s been great to work with such a fun and honest company like Stemilt. They share in our values and have a great sense of stewardship towards our planet. It’s been a pleasure to see them through this journey. Their decision to offer an alternative from traditional plastic packaging has helped eliminate the need for an estimated 8.5 million plastic produce bags thus far. We’re excited to help and be a part of such an impact.” – Lisa Hurtz, Food Packaging & Labeling Expert
As Stemilt’s paper-packaged apples began to appear on store shelves, something remarkable happened. Consumers, who had never given much thought to the
packaging their fruit came in, began to notice. And with each purchase, they became part of a larger story – one of a company determined to change the world, one
apple at a time.
Stemilt’s journey is far from over, but the impact of their efforts is already being felt. By choosing to invest in sustainable packaging for their produce, they’re not just reducing their own environmental footprint, they’re inspiring an industry to follow suit.
Through their unwavering commitment to sustainability, and with the help of partners like Felins, Inc., they are leading the way to a world where every apple, or in this case every four pack of apples, is a testament to the power of caring for our planet.
This is more than a case study; it’s a story of change, of collaboration, and of the profound impact that one company can have when it dares to dream big.
Experience the Felins innovation, Savor the Stemilt Quality
The Felins Packaging Team and Stemilt Growers will be exhibiting at the Global Produce & Floral Show 2024, this October. Visit Felins to see the banding machinery in action and stop by the Stemilt Growers exhibit to taste their World Famous Fruit.
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