News & Updates navigate this page > History (1949) History (1959) History (1967) History (1975) History (Present Day) Vision What A Concept Management 1949 In 1949, a young Bill and Jeannette Evans began farming their first apple orchard on Naches Heights, just outside of Yakima, WA. Working hard, and sacrificing more than most, Bill & Jeannette were able to keep food on the table, raise a family and invest a little back into their small 10 acre apple orchard. 1959 By 1959, the Evans operation had grown to a 60 acre growing operation and the company built its first packing facility. Bill and Jeannette took great pride in farming, making sure that their apples were always flavorful and of the highest quality. The addition of a packing facility, now gave the Evans the ability to control the way their apples were grown and packed. 1967 By 1967, the Evans operation expanded, hitting the 100 acre mark. Bill & Jeannette were always focused on growing the best quality apples and making sure that their apples were properly packed before being shipped to customers. 1975 By 1975, the small family business had grown into a major operation owning and farming well over 500 acres of apple orchard. Bill and Jeannette’s vision was to farm extremely large blocks of fruit strategically located in prime growing regions around eastern Washington. Present Day Today, the Evans own and farm over 8,000 acres of prime ground. Two of their 11 ranches are well over 2,000 acres each in size, representative of the largest apple orchards in Washington State. They also own three state-of-the-art production facilities that utilize all of the latest sorting and packing technology available. Evans Fruit Farms was ranked #1 for two consecutive years in Western Fruit Grower Magazine’s “Top 100 Growers” listing. What about Bill and Jeannette? Today, Jeannette is in her late eighties and remains intimately involved in every aspect of the day-to-day operations making sure you’re receiving the best apples available from Washington State. She somehow finds time to enjoy family and her many grandchildren, passing along words of wisdom attained through a lifetime of managing a farming business. She is an inspiration to many! Sadly, Bill passed in December of 2016. His personal ethics to work hard, stay focused, be honest and never give up are carried on through his grandchildren. Vision All of the other Washington apple packing operations relied on many small outside growers to supply them with apples to pack. The Evans didn’t agree with that philosophy because every small grower had their own method of farming, they were all located in different areas and they were all growing different strains of each apple variety. With all of these variables it was impossible to provide the level of quality and consistency that the Evans felt they needed to achieve. Bill and Jeannette wanted to provide their customers with the same consistent quality apples day-in and day-out on a year round basis just as if they were a manufactured product. They knew the only way to achieve this type of goal was to make their vision a reality. Social and Environmental Responsibilities Evans Fruit is fully committed toward environmental awareness. We understand the importance of protecting our planet along with the ground that we farm. Sustainability is a daily and intricate part of our farming practice that helps ensure a better world for generations to come. Evans Fruit Company is proud to produce a “Food for Life” that sustains both people and the environment in which we live. Management Jeannette Evans — President/Sales Director Joseph Evans — Operations/Sales Executive Julie Evans — Orchard Operations Kim Hiebert — Grower Accounting Wesley Akiyama — Sales Executive Kristina Conrad — Sales Executive Molly Cornett — Sales Executive Scott Hennessey — Sales Executive Steve Black — Sales Executive Lisa Vetch — Sales Assistant Don Rowe — Network Manager IN THE WORLD OF APPLES, Evans Fruit is the institution. With over 60 years of apple growing tradition, we continue to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy the Evans apple eating experience. Office: 509-678-4127 Fax: 509-678-5450 Address: 200 Cowiche City Rd. P.O. Box 70 Cowiche, WA 98923 Products Varieties About Us History Vision What A Concept Management The Art of Fruit Video Photo Gallery Facilities Orchards Pre-Sizing Packaging Contact Marketing Programs © Copyright Evans Fruit Company 2021 | Site by Eccentric Pixel