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While many Washington state businesses struggle in today's economic downturn, Wenatchee's Stemilt Growers Inc. is prospering.
The company, which ships, packs and markets fruit, recorded revenue of $71.2 million in 2002, up from $69.4 million in 2001.
"Our overall packing production is going up 10 percent a year," says marketing director Roger Pepperl.
A chunk of this growth is attributable to surging imports from Southern Hemisphere countries like Chile. Spurring these imports, Pepperl says, are retailers that want to offer customers a 12-month supply of fresh fruit.
By importing certain fruits when they're not available locally, Stemilt helps meet this retailer need.
Stemilt was founded in 1962 by Thomas Mathison, a cherry grower who decided that the only way to get his fruit to market in optimal condition was...