Wenatchee, Washington
Stemilt’s company roots trace back to 1893, when the first generation of Mathisons homesteaded 160 acres on Stemilt Hill overlooking the Columbia River and town of Wenatchee, Washington. By 1914, Thomas Cyle Mathison began planting apple, pear and cherry orchards in the fertile soils of Stemilt Hill, where high-elevation microclimates offered ideal growing conditions for tree fruits. In 1947, Chris Mathison, Thomas Cyle’s son, died in a tragic accident that occurred as he tried to save an irrigation reservoir from destruction during a winter flood.
The Mathison family persevered, continuing the hard work of maintaining the orchards. Just back from WWII, Tom Mathison (Chris’ youngest son) took a leadership role in the family business. The Mathison’s fruit business grew slow and steady, and like other farms ran into tough times. Despite the challenges, Tom forged ahead and by 1961 had constructed the family’s first packinghouse located on Stemilt Hill.
In 1964, Tom established the family’s first controlled atmosphere storage room and formally incorporated Stemilt Growers. Expansion continued and by 1975 the Mathison’s built a state-of-the-art apple, pear, and cherry packing storage facility at Olds Station in Wenatchee. Tom moved the company headquarters from Stemilt Hill to the new location, making Olds Station the hub of Stemilt’s operations.
In 2005, Tom passed on the company presidency to his grandson, West Mathison. Possessing the same drive and determination as his grandfather, West continues to take steps to make Stemilt a stronger business and live out its mission – maximize long-term return to the land by using sustainable farming practices – by integrating an organic method of growing to their orchards.
