CMI Orchards an Organic Leader in Washington State

CMI Orchards was formed in 1989 with a vision to grow and sell premium-quality fruit in Washington State. The owner group includes McDougall & Sons and Columbia Fruit Packers in Wenatchee, Double Diamond in Quincy, and Highland Fruit in Yakima.

“CMI’s owners are fourth- and fifth-generation orchardists with more than a century of experience growing spectacular tree fruit in the Columbia Valley region,” said Rochelle Bohm, brand manager for the company. “Over the past two years, CMI has experienced a rapid growth trajectory with new partnerships that add more than four million cartons of fruit to our manifest.”

Rochelle Bohm, Brand Manager, CMI Orchards

These partnerships include Pine Canyon Growers in Orondo and Yakima Fruit in Yakima.

“CMI’s specialty is apples, pears, and cherries. However, we have strong export citrus and grape programs out of California,” Bohm said. “We export all our products to more than 60 countries worldwide in addition to nationwide US distribution.”

“Over the past two years, CMI has experienced a rapid growth trajectory with new partnerships that add more than four million cartons of fruit to our manifest.” -Rochelle Bohm

In the early 2000s, CMI launched a quality organic program branded as “Daisy Girl Organics.” The inception and launch of this program was a pivotal point in positioning CMI as a leader in organic fruit production.

Daisy Girl organic Gala apple

“For 10 years, CMI’s Daisy Girl program produced the No. 1 best-selling two-pound pouch bag (Daisy Girl Gala) and several other top-selling organic items,” Bohm said. “CMI takes incredible pride in our ability to produce some of the best-tasting fruit the world has ever seen. Our growers are masters of their craft and believe in perfecting the art of growing fruit to deliver a spectacular eating experience every time.”

One of the ways that CMI has positioned the company to stand out is focusing on high-flavor managed organic varieties.

“We call this the ‘fourth tier’ of selling,” Bohm said. “Retailers are hungry for ways to build incremental sales and to offer their customers new and exciting products. With CMI’s fourth-tier items we create an excellent selling opportunity and meet this need—and most importantly for our growers, our ability to provide these exciting options opens the door to selling the whole truckload of organic products that CMI offers.”

“CMI takes incredible pride in our ability to produce some of the best-tasting fruit the world has ever seen. Our growers are masters of their craft and believe in perfecting the art of growing fruit to deliver a spectacular eating experience every time.” -Rochelle Bohm

Over the past five years, CMI has added new organic products to its manifest, and its ability to transition older orchards into organic orchards as well as to plan and plant new acreage with organic crops has made the company one of the organic leaders in Washington State.

“Our full organic suite includes all mainline varieties of apples and pears, plus Red and Rainier cherries, and additionally organic Ambrosia, KIKU, Kanzi, Jazz, Envy, Smitten, and EverCrisp,” Bohm said. “Our company really stands out in our vision to continue to bring new and exciting products to our customers.”

Daisy Girl organic cherries 

With organics now in higher demand by consumers, retailers are finding that shelf space is more limited than it was in the past when conventional fruit was solely marketed. That’s why CMI’s biggest challenge is securing one of the precious shelf allocations for its products. The company wants to entice retailers to jump on the opportunities that high-flavor variety organics offer for incremental sales.

CMI’s core mission is to be a “one stop shop” for its partners, which is why it offers everything from marketing support to sales support to transportation support and logistics.

Daisy Girl organic apples 

“We want our partners to relax and feel good about who they are doing business with,” Bohm said. “With this philosophy, [acting] with integrity and honesty is at the core of our operations. We believe that these principles will lead to loyalty and future business growth with our partners.”

“Our company really stands out in our vision to continue to bring new and exciting products to our customers.” -Rochelle Bohm

Looking ahead, the company is working on some product innovations and exclusive packaging for its organic products that will appeal to shoppers concerned about sustainability.

“CMI continues to invest in new product innovations, marketing tools, [and] packaging and to offer retail support so that our partners can maximize returns—whether it is our grower network or our retail partners,” Bohm said. “We are on a growth trajectory, bringing on new partners to continue to build our manifest and to be able to offer all the products that are in high-demand for our customers as well as to continuously offer new and exciting options.”