Brothers Grow Premium Washington Apples By Targeting Size Buyers Want
February 1, 1998 
George and David Allan
Some growers grow fruit, hoping customers will buy what they grow. But George and Dave Allan farm their orchards to grow premium fruit — knowing that’s just what customers want.
“We adapt horticulturally to what kind of fruit the buyers want. We call it targeting programs,” says Washington fruit grower George Allan.
The brothers target the grade and size of each variety that brings premium prices for that variety. The desired “targeted” fruit is attained through pruning and light management. This innovation helps make George and Dave Allan our Apple Growers of the Year. The brothers join a top echelon of fruit growers — from New York to Washington — who have accepted this annual honor from American Fruit Grower® magazine.
Pruning And Light Management
To achieve the target fruit, the brothers prune and train trees to maximize light interception and light utilization in the tree canopy. They also adjust cropping of the tree with pruning and chemical thinners. With those techniques, the Allans can increase size, color, and quality.
“Instead of bins per acre, it’s bins per acre of targeted fruit,” says George. “If you can change the percent of targeted fruit by 10% or 20%, it’s going to affect your bottom line.”
The market situation with Anjou pears illustrates the targeting program. Right now, small Anjous are nearly impossible to sell at a profitable level while large Anjou pears sell very well. If the Allans fail to prune for a larger size, “We are destined for failure,” George says.
“The weakest part of fruit growing these days is nobody wants to be a farmer,” he says. “But if you get good, firm, well-colored produce, everything else will fall into place. You’ll have a good consistent pack.”
George puts it another way: “You can make a bad packout of good fruit. But you can’t make a good packout of bad fruit.”
Farming For “Premium” Fruit
Growing targeted fruit requires more than pruning and light management. The right site is just as important. The real estate adage “location, location, location” applies in fruit growing as well as home buying.
For George and Dave Allan, the search for the right location never ends. Currently, they are abandoning their more traditional Yakima sites and moving some of their acreage east into the Columbia Basin.
“The adage was you never sell land. You buy,” George says.
But good slope, less frost, and wide open spaces continue to lure growers from the more traditional apple growing areas to the Columbia Basin.
As for varieties, the Allan brothers continue to search for new apple, pear, and cherry varieties that are economically viable, ones that produce premium fruit.
In The Warehouse
George and Dave Allan, along with their cousins, Todd and Larry Allan, make up the ownership of Allan Bros. The Allan family grows about 60% of apples and pears packed by their warehouse. But only 10% of the cherries are Allan Bros. cherries.
“We work with a few large growers who raise good quality fruit,” George says.
Cherry harvests span 40 to 45 days, he says, and involve some 200 people.
“It destroys the whole summer and can drive you to an early grave,” he says.
Keeping It In The Family
While learning to grow premium fruit can take a lifetime, Allan Bros. Fruit has managed to keep the operation in the family for several lifetimes.
In the 1900s George and Dave’s father, three uncles, and grandfather came to the Naches Valley to raise dairy cattle and grow hay. In the 1930s, the four original brothers and their father started planting fruit trees. Even today, elderly family members show up to work every day. George and Dave’s uncles, Walt, 86, and Alex, 80, haven’t tired of fruit growing yet.
The key to such longevity? Communication.
“We get along well,” says George. “We have a mission, a plan, and we communicate. Most of the time we are all on the same page.”
Fast Facts: Apple Growers Of The Year
WHO: George and Dave Allan
WHAT: Approximately 550 acres in Eastern Washington.
- They grow apples, pears, and cherries.
- Apples include Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala, and Braeburn.
- Pears include Anjous, Bosc, and Bartlett.
- Allan Bros. Fruit packs under the Rainier label. All sales are handled by Rainier Fruit Sales.
WHEN: The family planted its first fruit trees in the early 1930s.
WHERE: Naches, WA (headquarters)
- Yakima (two orchards) — 178 acres
- Wapato (two orchards) — 134 acres
- Naches (three orchards) — 73 acres
- Grandview — 75 acres
- Othello — 87 acres
HOW: The Allans target the premium grades and sizes of each type of fruit they grow.
WHY: Targeting allows George and Dave to get the best prices for their fruit.
Subscribe Today For
