Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the creators of Arctic apples, unveiled its new 110,000 square foot processing facility in Moses Lake, Washington this September.
The facility has the ability to process more than 50 million pounds of apples per year thanks to technology and design. Design is also key to the adjacent controlled-atmosphere storage facility, which is set to be completed in early 2024. Once fully built, the company can store, process and pack more than 100,000 bins of Arctic apples. The plant is located 30 minutes from the orchards.
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“We’ve redefined what it means to process apples in North America,” says founder Neal Carter. “Our Moses Lake facility is a game-changer in efficiency and bringing us closer to our orchards. When the controlled atmosphere facility is finished, every step from the orchard to the package of Arctic apples will happen right here.”
The facility is expected to employ over 100 individuals initially.
Okanagan Specialty Fruits has 1,250 acres of Washington-grown Arctic Fuji, Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny apples in production. Arctic Gala will be the next variety for the company, followed by Arctic Honey and Arctic Pink.
The company says what sets Arctic apples apart is their ability to stay orchard-fresh for up to 28 days. The novel tree fruit varieties were developed through bioengineering.