WENATCHEE, WA - With shovels in hand, Stemilt is breaking ground on its new pear packing facility. Anticipated to be fully operational by 2024, the facility features an automated pear line that will boost the grower’s efficiency.

“We are very excited to be breaking ground on our new Rushing Rivers® pear facility with expectations to be operational in February 2024,” said Todd George, Vice President of Production, in a mid-March update on the pear line construction process. “The pear packing line will be connected to our Fresh Center distribution facility where we have all the infrastructure to ripen pears and get them cold quickly in our forced air tunneling rooms.”

Currently, Stemilt is in the process of not only breaking ground, but moving water, sewer, and storm lines out from underneath the building. According to a release, later this week, the site will undergo inspection and approval to begin the next step: excavating the footings of the building.

“We hope to have the foundation and walls of the building complete by the end of August so we can start installing the line,” added George. “The new facility will vastly improve productivity with state-of-the-art capabilities in handling, sorting, and packaging.”

As Stemilt continues to make progress on this advanced new facility, AndNowUKnow is the place for the latest updates.

Stemilt