SUMMERLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - As of next year, I will have been on this earth for a quarter of a century. Some may say I’m still extremely young, but 25 years is one lengthy chunk of time worth celebrating. Okanagan Specialty Fruits^® (OSF) is ringing in such an occasion, as the company is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this month.

“To say it’s been quite the journey would be an understatement. The past few years have been extremely rewarding as we’re finally seeing our dream become a reality with the commercialization of Arctic apples,” explained Neal Carter, Co-Founder and President. “We currently have over 1,300 acres of Arctic apple trees planted in our orchards in Washington State. It’s definitely been humbling to watch one idea turn into approximately 2.6 million trees in the ground.”

Neal Carter and Louisa Carter founded the company in 1996 with a passion for reducing unnecessary food waste and to address declining apple consumption, a press release stated. OSF was purchased by Third Security in 2020, maintaining its vision with Carter at the helm as President.

The vertically integrated company specializes in the development, growing, processing, and marketing of novel tree fruit varieties. OSF’s flagship product is its Arctic apple varieties, which maintain their just-picked freshness, flavor, and color after slicing.

OSF is currently growing Arctic^® Golden, Arctic^® Granny, and Arctic^® Fuji varieties in its orchards. Its future plans include adding more apple varieties to its product lineup, as well as the development of Arctic^® cherry varieties.

“What really sets our products apart is our quality, as we specifically grow our apples with the intention to create fresher, tastier slices,” stated Carter. “My vision for the next 25 years is to see Arctic apples set a new standard for sliced apples and help grow apple consumption worldwide, targeting food service, retail, and the ingredient business.”

Cheers to OSF on this exciting celebration!

Okanagan Specialty Fruits®