Why Pacific Northwest Fruit Sourcing Is a Strategic Advantage for Food Brands

Pacific Northwest fruit is the best fruit. We aren’t shy about that. We know that incorporating Pacific Northwest fruit into product formulations offers a number of strategic advantages for food brands looking to stand out and thrive in the marketplace.

But why? What is it about Pacific Northwest fruit that sets it apart from all of the rest?

Before diving into the answer to this question, it’s essential to understand the current state of the food and beverage industry, the consumer demands, market forces, and economic factors that give Pacific Northwest fruit such a distinct advantage for food product formulation.

For nearly a decade now, there has been a growing preference for food innovation that contributes to overall health and well-being. This has given rise to recent functional and better-for-you trends, but has consistently highlighted a desire for naturalness and cleaner ingredients.

According to a poll conducted by Food Industry Executive, 50% of respondents saw “Clean Label Ingredients” as the fastest-growing demand in food products, doubling the 25% for “Functional Foods”. While this poll had a relatively small sample size, Ingredion’s 2023 Atlas Survey, which looked at the insights of over 14,000 consumers across 30 countries, found that 78% of respondents would pay more for clean-label or natural claims, despite inflation.

However, as was hinted at, this is nothing new. A 2016 survey discovered that 73% of consumers are happy to pay a higher retail price for products made with ingredients they recognize and trust.Still, while consumers may be willing to pay more for the item, they will not part with their hard-earned dollars for products that sacrifice on taste or quality in the name of clean-label claims.

These pressures are compounded by rising costs driven by inflation, supply chain instability, and shifting tariff policies, none of which appear to be easing anytime soon. As tariffs increase, the value of Pacific Northwest fruit sourcing continues to rise.

This is where the passion of local growers, unparalleled quality, and unmistakable taste of Pacific Northwest fruit can change the game for food developers.

The Role of Pacific Northwest fruit in today’s food industry

Whether you’re talking about dark, sweet cherries, crisp tart apples, medleys of berries, and more, Pacific Northwest fruit has long been popular around the world for its premium taste and quality.

Agricultural Practices That Make Pacific Northwest Fruit Stand Out

Like any agricultural product, the fruit from this region is only as good as the soil it grows in and the climate surrounding it. This is where the Pacific Northwest has a distinct advantage over various regions of the US, and other countries for that matter.

Let’s start with the soil.

Ancient volcanic activity makes the Cascadian soil naturally rich in nutrients, while the temperate climate offers warm days and cool nights that aid decomposition, reinvigorating its fertility. Moreover, the sandy, less clay-like consistency provides for better drainage and natural optimization of water absorption.

This lends itself to another concern of consumers and companies alike: sustainability. Sustainable fruit product starts in the fields.

The wetter climate, quite literally, lends itself to water conservation naturally, especially in comparison to our nearest major agricultural center in California, which often has to source its water from other states.

Yet, this isn’t limited only to consistent rainfall. In fact, there are local berry farms located along the Columbia River that are able to utilize their knowledge of water tables to irrigate their fields completely naturally, and without the need for equipment. In addition to water conservation, local protections allow for a flourishing of local wildlife, especially natural pollinators. From honeybees and other wild bees to butterflies, beetles, and more, the protection and promotion of pollinator habitats helps foster an even greater level of sustainable fruit production.

Combine this with a preference for natural and organic production methods, and it’s easy to understand the clean-label appeal. While this ideal blend of climate conditions, superior soil, and local conservation efforts creates the perfect canvas for cultivation, it is the generations of growers that make Pacific Northwest fruit possible.

For us at Ever Fresh, it’s our deep personal relationship with and commitment to them that enables us to help developers leverage the power and potential of Pacific Northwest fruit for themselves.

Strengthening the Fruit Supply Chain Through Local Sourcing

Over five decades ago, Ever Fresh started as a fruit stand with a focus on sourcing only the highest quality, all-natural, local fruit.  Though we’ve come a long way since those humble beginnings, the strong relationships that helped us thrive way back then remain our strength to this day.

We consider it a privilege to be able to jump in a car and go from farm to farm to farm and see the quality of the product that’s being grown and where it’s at. It’s knowing that not only will your calls get answered, but there will also be constant communication between you and these growers. When external factors raise the prices or reduce yields, you’re the first to know—the type of relationships, where a handshake agreement is worth a million pounds.

For us, this isn’t just about the strength of our business and our customers’ business; it’s about wanting to keep Pacific Northwest fruit thriving.

This becomes even more important when we consider the limited supply of these premium fruits.  Data from the Oregon Department of Agriculture shows that it is becoming only more premium as the yearly yield of strawberries has gone from 40.1 million pounds in 2001 to roughly a quarter of that at 11 million pounds in 2021. Considering that the aforementioned Japanese ice cream company and Ever Fresh’s portions of the yearly yield make up somewhere around half of the harvest, the Oregon strawberry only becomes an even more premium product.

Still, this limited supply is not a problem for companies partnering with Ever Fresh; rather, it is a strength that helps Pacific Northwest fruit add stability and resiliency to the supply chain, especially in the face of the volatility caused by shifting tariff policies on fruit imports.

Addressing Cost Concerns

There’s no way around it, Pacific Northwest fruit is a premium product. And with better taste, higher quality, and cleaner label claims usually comes a more premium price tag. Again, we won’t be around the blackberry bush, but this is also true.

However, while this may have created a barrier for some developers in the past, those walls may be coming down. With the implementation of sweeping international tariffs, global supply chain issues, and a growing need for traceability, Pacific Northwest fruit has now become a premium product that also offers premium upside for companies.

This may not move the needle for some. Still, as international brokers struggle to balance varying duty rates from country to country and other externalities, the value provided by high-quality US-grown fruit is getting harder to ignore. When factoring in the increased costs these external pressures are placing on international growers and suppliers, the price of such produce starts to come more in line with what once was considered the “premium price tag” of Northwest fruit.

One also has to consider the stacks of paperwork and the reliance on third parties in other countries to handle inspections and audits, ensuring that what is needed is received when and at the price it’s needed. The variables begin to add up quickly.

In addition to tariffs, choosing local fruit helps companies save time and money on shipping, while also obtaining a product at the peak of freshness. This is where one starts to realize that in the current market climate, Pacific Northwest fruit isn’t just a cost-competitive choice but serves as the anchor of a strategy for resilience and differentiation.

Sourcing, Traceability, Resiliency

Relationships with local growers are not only the backbone of our business, but they also help Ever Fresh provide resilience and peace of mind to our customers in the face of swirling uncertainty. Unlike international sourcing, our team, including our development team, can experience the orchard firsthand, interact with the farmers, and learn about what the future year holds before just about anyone else.

This means that even in the dead of winter, our communication continues, allowing us to get necessary information in advance, knowing where to shift if needed.  This also illustrates the added level of trust established over decades, and ensures that when troubles do arise, Ever Fresh and our partners’ needs will be among the first to get taken care of.

Traceability has also become a topic of concern amongst consumers and regulators alike.  Fortunately, with Pacific Northwest fruit, “traceability” and “concern” are two words that don’t really need to appear in the same sentence. From soil to shelf or harvest to high-heat processing, we know every step of the journey in the fruit supply chain, giving our partners and their consumers one less thing to worry about.

To this point, we’ve looked at a lot of the “practical” benefits Pacific Northwest fruit provides in terms of cost, sustainability, and reliability, but how does it win over consumers and inspire food innovation?

Opportunities for Food Developers with Pacific Northwest Fruit

Unfortunately, the issues facing developers don’t stay with just the developers. No, the trickle-down effect is real, and it’s killing brand loyalty.

While a study from Ernst & Young found that a majority of consumers (60%) still saw brands as a significant factor in their purchase decisions, 35% no longer felt they played a major role in their choices. Adding to this is that more than half of consumers would consider switching to private labels, and 40% felt that “improvements” to products were actually a guise for cost-cutting measures.

The reality is that shoppers in every tax bracket are having to tighten their proverbial belts at the supermarket, which means loyalty to a brand has to be earned through the right balance of quality, taste, specific claims, and affordability.

If it wasn’t clear already, Pacific Northwest fruit delivers on all of these fronts. With world-leading quality and taste, clean-label and sustainability claims, as well as increased cost competitiveness, these fruits are a recipe for maintaining loyalty and sustaining success.

From a food product formulation perspective, they make it easy as well. Packed with flavor and freshness, their abundant sweetness naturally lends itself to no-added and reduced sugar trends, while also enhancing palatability with better color and texture, higher brix levels, and more.

Not only are they better ingredients on their own, but they also help developers create better bases.  Pair that with the experience and creativity of Ever Fresh’s development team, and developers have everything they need to find inspiration and drive product innovation.

Why Food Brands Should Invest in Pacific Northwest Fruit

Few things in life are really as much of a sure thing, or a slam dunk, as they seem. However, finding ways to leverage the advantages of Pacific Northwest fruit in your formulations might actually be one of them.

We can help you take full advantage of Pacific Northwest fruit sourcing, from development to commercialization support. Let us strengthen your formulations with the premium fruit choices that consumers trust.

And we’re not shy about saying that, either.