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Don't miss the Apple Festival! NC APPLE FESTIVAL Labor Day Weekend Friday Aug. 31 - Saturday Sept. 1 Click here to get the North Carolina Apple Education Kit: 
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© 1999-2003, Blue Ridge Direct Market Association. All information on this web site is copyrighted material of Blue Ridge Direct Market Association. Website design and hosting by CyTech Computers & Internet Solutions, Inc. |
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Prior
to 1950 most of the apples were picked and sold to truckers who
bought directly from the orchard in bulk. The only method of packing
was known as the "Ring pack" in bushel baskets. J.R.
Thomas and H.E. Baxter were the first two packers in the county
to pack apples in a commercial apple packing house. They both
started about 1946 or 1947. During the early 1950's, they along
with other packers, started to use the tray pack method that uses
the same size and number of apples in trays and boxes. At present
many growers have built their own packing houses and are packing
their own, plus some of their neighbors' apples. Cecil Henderson
was the first grower to build a controlled atmospheric storage
building in the county. This was built in 1983, with a storage
capacity of 90,000 bushels.
In
1959 the apple growers of the county saw the need for more apple
packing facilities as well as cold storage. They got together
and organized the first apple packing cooperative in the county
that was owned by farmers. This organization was known as the
Western North Carolina Apple Growers Cooperative. During the mid
1980's, the cooperative had about 50 members and could pack in
excess of 100,000 bushels and store more than 150,000 bushels
of apples per year. Today, the co-op is used mainly for cold storage
of apples.
Two
other large apple processing and juice plants have been built
in the county. J.N. Major, of Old Virginia, built a juice processing
plant at Mountain Home in 1965. The plant was later purchased
by Seneca and expanded in 1978. It is the Seneca headquarters
for the southeastern states and is one of the largest producers
of apple juice in the nation. In one year the plant can expect
to press 525,000 bushels of apples, or 2 million gallons of juice.
The
Blue Ridge Apple Growers is an organization made up of Henderson
County area growers. It was formed in 1936 in cooperation with
the Agricultural Extension Service. The object of this organization
was to advertise and promote apples. Each year signs were erected
on each highway leading into the county - stating that Henderson
County apples were the "Best Flavored Apples" in the
USA, and that an apple orchard map showing locations of apple
orchards in the county could be found at any local service station.
These maps were also mailed to apple buyers and truckers in Eastern
America. This promotion was continued until 1970. Today the organization
still concentrates on advertisement and promotion of apples while
educating the growers and the public about the apple industry.