At Baugher’s Orchard, our commitment to quality starts from the moment our apples are hand-picked and continues until they arrive at your local grocery store or market. As a family-owned farm, we take great pride in every step of the process, ensuring that every apple you bite into is fresh and delicious.
Curious about how apples make their journey from our orchard to your grocery store? Here’s an inside look at the meticulous process we follow at Baugher’s Orchard.
Step 1: Planting and Maintaining the Orchard
The journey of a Baugher’s apple begins long before harvest season—it starts with planting and nurturing the trees. We carefully select apple varieties suited to our region’s climate and soil to ensure the best quality fruit.
• Planting the Trees: Each apple tree is planted, ensuring it has the right spacing and access to sunlight for optimal growth. The soil is prepared and enriched to give the trees the nutrients they need to thrive.
• Pruning: Regular pruning is a key part of maintaining the health and productivity of our apple trees. By removing dead or overcrowded branches, we ensure proper airflow and sunlight exposure, which promotes healthy fruit production and reduces the risk of disease.
• Pest and Disease Management: We use sustainable farming practices to protect our trees from pests and diseases. This includes monitoring the orchard closely, using integrated pest management (IPM) techniques, and applying protective measures only when necessary to maintain a healthy balance in the ecosystem.
• Irrigation and Fertilization: Apple trees need consistent watering and nutrients to grow strong and produce high-quality fruit. We provide our orchards with the right balance of water and fertilizers to support healthy growth throughout the year.
• Monitoring and Care: Throughout the growing season, our farmers keep a close eye on the orchard, watching for signs of stress, pests, or weather damage. This hands-on care ensures that each tree is given the attention it needs to produce the best apples possible.
It takes years for an apple tree to reach full maturity, but the patience and care we invest in the orchard are what make Baugher’s apples stand out for their taste and quality.
Step 2: Hand-Picking the Apples
Our apples are picked the old-fashioned way: by hand. This careful method ensures that each apple is handled gently to prevent bruising and maintain its premium quality. Our dedicated team of pickers selects only the best apples from the tree, harvesting them at the peak of ripeness to deliver the perfect balance of flavor and freshness.
We grow a variety of apple types at Baugher’s Orchard, including classic favorites like Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Gala. Each variety is harvested at the ideal time, so it’s ready to be enjoyed by customers near and far.
Step 3: Storing the Apples in Cold Storage
After the apples are harvested, they’re immediately moved to our cold storage facilities. This critical step preserves their freshness and extends their shelf life. At Baugher’s, we use advanced storage techniques, including temperature-controlled environments and the innovative SmartFresh system, which helps maintain the apples’ crispness and flavor for months.
By carefully controlling oxygen, carbon dioxide, and humidity levels, we’re able to slow the natural ripening process, ensuring that our apples stay as fresh as the day they were picked. This means you can enjoy the taste of farm-fresh apples long after the harvest season.
Step 4: Grading the Apples
Before the apples are packed, they go through a grading process to ensure that only the best ones make it to your table. Using our Durand Wayland packing line, each apple is evaluated for size, color, and quality.
• Grade A Apples are the most visually appealing and are perfect for grocery store shelves.
• Apples that don’t meet the visual standards are often repurposed for other uses, such as cider or baking, so nothing goes to waste. Apple too far gone for human consumption are sold for animal feed or spread back on our fields as fertilizer for following seasons.
Our grading process ensures that every apple meets the high-quality standards that customers have come to expect from Baugher’s Orchard.
Step 5: Packing the Apples
Once graded, the apples are carefully packed on our Durand Wayland packing line. Our packing system is designed to handle the fruit gently, ensuring that each apple remains in pristine condition. Apples are sorted into boxes or bags based on size and variety, then labeled for distribution.
Each package reflects our commitment to freshness, showcasing the Baugher’s name as a trusted source for high-quality produce.
Step 5: Shipping to Grocery Stores and Markets
After packing, the apples are ready to begin their journey to customers. We sell our apples to a variety of outlets, including grocery stores, fruit distributors, and small markets.
We work closely with distributors to ensure that our apples are transported quickly and efficiently, so they arrive at their destination in peak condition. Whether they’re on a supermarket shelf or in a local market, you can trust that Baugher’s apples deliver the same freshness and flavor as if you’d picked them yourself.
A Farm-to-Table Commitment
From the orchard to your table, every step of our process reflects our dedication to quality, sustainability, and freshness. By managing every stage of production—picking, storing, grading, packing, and shipping—right here at Baugher’s Orchard, we maintain complete control over the quality of our apples.
When you choose Baugher’s, you’re not just supporting a local farm—you’re enjoying apples that have been nurtured with care every step of the way.