In the small town of Wenatchee, WA, also known as the Apple Capital of the World, was a homestead that would one day grow into the soil it sat on. Stemilt Growers tells Family Business Magazine of the trials and triumphs that built the foundation for a fruit corporation to thrive on its 60th year anniversary in a feature article titled Always Growing. Stemilt’s President, West Mathison, and brother and Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Tate Mathison, look to a future of family grown fruit made possible by the hands of their forefathers.  

“If anyone can confront the challenge, it’s the Mathisons,” Sarah Brodsky, reporter for Business Magazine wrote. “Their business was once a small homestead near the current headquarters in Wenatchee, Washington, but it’s grown to a corporation with 1,600 full-time employees, a governing board and a formal succession plan. Technological innovations have played a major role in the company’s success, propelling it to its current position as the largest sweet cherry grower, packer and marketer in North America.”

It's a big year for the grower as it celebrates its 60th year anniversary in honor of its founding father, Thomas C. Mathison who established Stemilt in 1964. In 2005, Thomas transferred leadership of Stemilt to his grandson, West, who currently guides Stemilt on its mission to cultivate people and delight consumers through excellence through its World Famous Fruit brand.

“Being family-owned means Stemilt is part of our family legacy,” said West. “I think a big part of who we are stems from my grandfather and the adversities he faced growing up, in World War II and with mother nature on the farm. Not one day is ever the same, each year brings a new set of challenges for us to find ways to overcome. But like my grandmother used to say, ‘the way we’re going to make this place pay is with a positive attitude and a smile.’ I think it’s our passion for growing fruit that will always keep us persevering.”

Stemilt held a celebration for its employees at the start of the year symbolic of its anniversary year and has plans to continue honoring the family legacy throughout 2024. In September, a marketing campaign will distribute videos on LinkedIn featuring others at Stemilt who have family roots to recognize those legacies like the Mathison’s. Elements from the campaign will also make an appearance at Stemilt’s booth during the 2024 International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Floral and Produce Show in Atlanta, GA. 

West and Tate mentioned in their interview with Family Business Magazine that their family finds common ground in their passion for growing fruit. West is a numbers guy and continues to work on the data side of the business. At the same time, though, one can tell he’s a farmer at heart. He doesn’t lose sight of the purpose behind all those spreadsheets.

“When we came up with the brand World Famous Fruit, we knew it was going to be a journey, not a destination,” said West. “Looking back on the past 60 years, we’ve accomplished so much from being the first to put a branded sticker on apples, bagging cherries, and coming up with new brands like Rave apples and Happi Pear. One thing we often say around here is it takes a village, and that is the way we will continue another 60 years of growing tree fruits to delight consumers.”