Washington apple grower recognizes veterans during American Dream apple giveaways

CMI Orchards is participating in a number of local community events this week, recognizing and celebrating local soldiers on Veterans Day. These activities are part of a series of ongoing American Dream promotions that are designed to give back to veterans, military members and their families. 

In partnership with Royal Produce, a small family-owned produce operation from Royal City operating in Pybus Public Market, CMI provided free apples for veterans from November 7-14.

According to George Harter, Vice President of Marketing at CMI Orchards, participating in events and promotions that recognize the dedication of America’s soldiers is the heart and soul of CMI’s American Dream program.  

“A dazzling billboard in the center of the community, social media marketing and word of mouth drove hungry veterans to collect delicious bags of Gala apples from Royal Produce, home grown in local orchards,” Harter said. “There is nothing better than to be able to shake the hands of our local veterans and deliver a personal message of thanks, not only from myself and from CMI, but from all of the apple growers in our region.” 

Santos Guabarrama, owner of Royal Produce, is a believer in CMI’s American Dream program. “We’ve had a steady flow of traffic to the store and have been talking with lots of veterans as they stop by to collect their apples. Our family loves this annual tradition of partnering with CMI for this promotion. We are on our second year and I hope that this continues into the future so that we can share with our local veterans a token of our appreciation for their service,” he said.  

Concurrently, on November 11, CMI attended an event with the Wenatchee chapter of the American Legion, where CMI staff met with veterans to hand out bags of American Dream apples to local members. A semi wrapped with American Dream messaging – “Honoring our Soldiers” – rolled into the parking lot bringing much commendation and admiration from soldiers attending Veterans Day services.  

Harter explained that the American Dream program was designed with a giving component tied in: A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each box of apples is donated to military and veteran causes that are important to CMI’s retail partners.

“We wanted to create a program that was powerful, proudly American and inspiring,” Harter said. “We’re truly honored that our program has taken off in such a big way and year over year it continues to build momentum and offer an excellent promotional tool for our customers.”

Article published on Fresh Plaza